Two Weeks of Eternity
by crz4greece
Summary: Hermione Granger finds herself entrusted into the care of Professor Severus Snape in the middle of nowhere for two weeks when a plot to use her as bait against her friend Harry Potter arises over the holiday break. Short Story
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back! Hello everyone! This is just a short story… probably only a few chapters but I couldn't help myself with the holidays near! Enjoy!**

**(by the way, Lesson in Love fans… I am going to do an epilogue/one shot sequel to the story for all of you who are just dying for a little bit more to be tied together. Thanks for being so awesome!)**

**Please Review!**

"Are you sure, Severus? Are you _absolutely_ sure?" Albus Dumbledore laced his fingers in concerned alarm, looking up at the man standing before his desk while the half moon spectacles slid down his nose.

"Positive." Severus Snape slowly droned, relaying the news of the plans he had overheard from the Death Eater meeting.

"This is very grave." He sighed before standing, supporting his aging body with the desk in front of him. Albus was definitely getting older and the curse that was laid upon his charcoal hand was growing ever worse. It was a reminder to the Headmaster and also to the spy in the room that the former all-powerful wizard was no longer immune to the dangers around him. Professor Snape never thought he would ever see the day that the elder man would fall or come to his demise and yet the silver-haired warlock was close enough now than ever before. Albus truly was on borrowed time. Sensing the awkward silence between them, the Headmaster pushed his glasses up slightly before walking past the Potions Master.

Severus kept his arms firmly at his sides, "Potter-"

"Harry must be warned… yes…" Albus pulled out an ornately designed silver box and carefully brought it to his desk before removing the velvet-lined lid and revealing to the dark wizard next to him what treasures—or rather curses—lay inside. The Headmaster pulled out a dingy black text with a hole punched through the center and blood stains rippling the yellow, worn pages. It was in an awful sort of condition and the younger wizard in the dimly lit office winced at the sight of the hideous object that had, just moments before, rested in such a beautiful container. The older wizard with the silver beard then pulled out something that he was clutching very firmly in his palm.

"What about the boy?" Severus raised an eyebrow, "What about Granger and Weasley as well? Will you take action? You can't be seriously thinking about-" he sneered but the Headmaster interrupted him,

Albus whipped around and gave the former Potions Master a firm gaze, "What other choice is there? There is another horcrux, I have done extensive research… the cave—the locket is in the cave."

The dark wizard fumbled with his cuffs peeking out of his stiff coat, "Venturing alone again, Headmaster?"

The older wizard turned slowly, letting his wise eyes fall upon the once very confused and hurt young man now turned into a true hero… and yet, he tilted his head thoughtfully examining the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Albus was truly saddened by the fact that with such a miraculous change of heart and change of masters, no one knew of the dark wizard's true motives and intentions. Severus Snape truly deserved something for his actions but Albus knew it was beyond what anyone could really give and the loyal spy never wanted anyone to know of his noble deeds anyway. That was their deal from the beginning for the Headmaster to never reveal anything that Severus did. Albus gave a half smile, letting his mind experiment with the idea if Harry Potter knew the real Potions Master and what all of that would entail? Would Harry truly cling to Severus for support? Although there was much to be resolved between the student and teacher, Albus decided to fancy himself by believing that the boy-who-lived really would have a change of heart and quickly let the hardened professor into his closest comrades and trusted allies.

Albus meandered to the Potions Master but was seemingly lost in his own train of thought and reasoning, "I will be taking leave of the holidays from the castle," he unfurled his aging, long fingers that grasped tightly around the object that he had previously removed from the ornate box. He unveiled a dark ring resting in his palm, "There are more Horcruxes, Severus, and I need to be searching for them in my limited time. I trust that you can handle leading Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley to safety?"

Minerva McGonagall came bursting through the office door in bustling green robes and the feather in her witch's hat was dancing merrily, which contradicted severely to the austere mood that was reflected on the older woman's face, "You sent for me, Albus? Is everything alright?"

The Headmaster looked to his longtime working companion and friend, one of the most loyal witches he had ever had the pleasure to interact with, "No, Minerva. I am afraid it is not."

The elder woman looked from the aging wizard and darted to the Potions Master who remained silent and firm in his position. The two men in front of her had been her most trusted allies through the thick of it all, "Severus? What is going on?"

The dark wizard sighed and kept up his façade that was protocol to anyone except the Headmaster, "I intercepted an exchange of letters between Narcissa and Draco Malfoy containing explicit information on the attacks that will be attempted while Potter and his friends are absent of the school over the holidays."

Minerva's frown intensified as the Potions Master concluded his lie of how he attained the information and revealed the underlying truth of the matter, "The target of these attacks will most definitely be against either Miss Granger or Mr. Weasley and I have, as of yet, been unable to leak this information of which _one_ specifically will be used as bait against Potter."

"Bait?" her eyes shimmered in a dread and horror as she whipped her head back to the aging man who was now holding the ornate box in his hands and running his fingers along the designs that snaked around it, "Albus? What are we to do? Inform Potter? The Order must be notified immediately and I believe a secret transfer of the three would be more than permitted," she turned hesitantly back to the Slytherin Head of House in a moment of desperation, "Severus did you happen to find out when these attacks would ensue or be carried out?"

Snape's mouth formed a thin line, "For all we know, it could be false information."

A panic stricken look raced across the witch's face, "Albus, what say you to this? What actions are we to take? I will not let _my_ students be unprotected on account of artificial information. Precautions must be taken!"

Albus nodded silently, "I agree… we must play this game," he turned to the Potions Master, "Severus, I will be in need of your services tonight."

"Headmaster?" he flinched in annoyance. Why was he always needed? Why was it not enough to be doing what he was doing and yet go against his efforts to support the two wretched Gryffindors that were joined at the hip of The-Boy-Who-Lived? Wasn't McGonagall called to take care of the matter?

Albus set the box down and quickly retreated to the nook in the wall where his pensieve rested and he began to extract the silvery threads of memories from his temple, "I am more than positive that Mr. Weasley will not be the target sought after. Hermione Granger is a muggle-born, and the current circumstances present a prime opportunity to rid Harry Potter of a most brilliant witch lacking in wizarding blood that could most definitely help see to the success of our efforts. Miss Granger must be protected—"

"Albus! You cannot simply guess at these things," Minerva swallowed slightly, "What about Potter and Weasley? What if it is a set up for us to protect Miss Granger and leave the two boys unsupervised?"

The Headmaster nodded, showing acknowledgment of the witch's concerns, "I understand Minerva, but Miss Granger is indeed the priority, however, no lesser amount of protection will be given to the two. But we must take special safety measures to ensure the security of the girl."

"And when does this _plan_ of yours take place? What is my role in this? Surely the Order will be more than enough protection for the three of them, Albus." Severus wrapped his hands together behind his back in a subtle show of contempt against the Golden Trio.

"We must split them up. How foolhardy are we to hide our greatest assets within our group in one location? The action is not to be born and we will proceed with definite caution on the measures taken.

"Albus?" Minerva searched the Headmaster's face for answers that she was not receiving, "What are we to do?"

The silver-haired warlock stared into the glowing bowl, "We will separate the three into different locations to be moved at different times tomorrow. They will be unable to reasonably track the commotion of all the students leaving the castle for the holidays. Minerva, I need you to contact the Order and inform them of Mr. Weasley's early arrival to Headquarters and will need to be simultaneously moved to one of our uninhabited safe houses, as will Mr. Potter."

She nodded, "And what time shall we be expecting Potter?"

Albus weighed this for a moment, "The normal arrival of the train would be sufficient. If Voldemort plans to attack Granger or Weasley, I am sure that they will be awaiting the arrival of the trio on Platform nine and three-quarters. We cannot remove Potter and let them suspect that we know what is going on."

"So the boy stays on course? Who will be the one to escort him?" Minerva clenched her jaw, a nervous tic that Severus had learned to expect in stressful times with the Transfiguration teacher.

"I will leave that up to the Order but might I give a word to the wise, do not try to hide that Harry will indeed be in the company of one of the members or it will alert them that Voldemort's plan was undeniably intercepted. Alastor, Kingsley or Remus would do well to be the one to accompany him to a safe house and let the others choose as they will with escorting Mr. Weasley. Either way, both boys need to be taken to separate safe houses." He continued to stare into the glowing bowl, as if searching for the answers to all of his deepest questions, "Contact the Order immediately, Minerva, we are losing precious time…," he looked up briefly to the dark wizard, "There is something I must discuss with Severus."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, a little hurt from being kept from the conversation but understood that it was not any ill-intention of the Headmaster's to spite the witch, "Of course, but might I ask what will the fate of Hermione Granger become in this? Shall I alert the Order to her arrival?"

Albus shook his head slowly, "No… no… I shall see to her safety in this cause," he gave his tone in a dismissive manner that the witch could only detect as her opportunity to leave. She turned briskly and exited the room without question of her old friend.

Severus fidgeted, "And my role in this, Headmaster?"

Albus braced himself against the altar that was holding the bowl of memories but looked up, letting his face turn a blue hue from the light of the pensieve, "You will be the safe keeper to Miss Granger. We need to escort her out of the castle immediately."

"_WHAT?_" The Potions teacher's face drained what little color there was left in the pale skin.

"If Miss Granger is such a target as you have expressed, Severus, then the Death Eaters who are following after her will never suspect you be the protector." Albus sighed before tiredly removing himself from the pensieve and slowly sat himself in his chair at his desk.

Severus Snape was still in a bit of a shock, "Albus you can't seriously—"

"I take this very acutely," he folded his hand and rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, "They will never find Hermione Granger with you… bring her to the refuge. Neither of you will be bothered there and I will send for you once the holidays are thru."

"The refuge?" he asked, confused. He knew Albus was referring to the place of safety he had attained for the Potions Master to retreat to in case Voldemort ever found out about him being a spy for the Order… but why would he take Granger with him to such a secretive and personal spot?

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, you will both be untroubled there and she will be more than safe with you."

Severus was still distraught, "Have I not done enough already Albus?" he whipped around to leave when he was called back, and like the faithful servant he was, he turned to see the more powerful wizard standing,

"Take her now, Severus. There is no time to lose. Take Miss Granger off the grounds of the school and apparate… there will be questions she will want answered but make no mistake, these will best be suited for discussing her safety once you are within the walls of the house, understood? No one can touch you there. Now hurry!" he waved him off towards the door and Professor Snape wanted to hex the man into the next dimension.

He took it in stride and brushed off the commanding tone of the wizard and exited the room before he prepped himself for the most miserable holiday vacation that he would ever experience. It was close to midnight last time he had checked the clock in the Headmaster's office and sighed as he made his way up the staircases towards Gryffindor Tower… would she even be in bed or would the trio be stalking the grounds as they most infamously loved to do almost every night while trying to solve the latest Hogwarts mystery to put blame on him? He rolled his eyes at their insatiable curiosity and just hoped that Granger would be sound asleep or studying or something—just as long as she was alone, he would be more than content. If the two dunderheads were with her then he knew things would become more complicated. Snape rounded a corner before meeting the face of a most tired Fat Lady in an oversized portrait, sipping on her empty glass of wine with heavy eyes. _Dear Lord, is she drunk?_ _Only Gryffindors…_

"Banana Fritters." He groaned under his breath, hating the wretched passwords that his rival house used—they were absolutely absurd and made one sound like an utter fool trying to enter.

The Fat Lady swayed a bit before hiccupping and waving her hand for entrance as she took another swig of her empty glass in hopes that the alcohol would magically reappear. Snape swept through the large port hole and was met with a stuffy, warm atmosphere that could even put him to sleep. The large fireplace was on its last limbs, trying to burn every morsel within its reach while the flickering flames dimly lit the common room to show the ridiculous tapestry wall coverings that screamed burgundy and gold. It almost hurt his eyes to be in such an overly decorated room but he just shook himself and thanked his lucky stars he did not have to frequent the tower more than once or twice a year on special occasions. The Slytherin dungeons were much classier and elegant but most of all, subtle with the colors instead of the obnoxious reds and golds that littered the place from floor to ceiling.

There were a few students lingering in the room in a study group together, working on last minute homework before the holidays started, probably Potions homework, which gave him great pleasure. He had assigned a huge workload in spite of the holidays and expected all the assignments to be handed in at the next start of term. His smirk was wiped off his face when he probably guessed that Hermione had more than likely already completed everything. Snape had always been one to challenge her but was rewarded, to his dismay, with an effortless smile and an outstanding completed assignment every time she would turn one in. One young Gryffindor jumped out of her seat when she saw him marching forward with vigor and gave a little cry to her friends to point out that the Slytherin Head of House was, in fact, storming their common room. He ignored the whispers and quickly ascended the stairs towards the girl's dormitories. He had never had to be so abrasive and outlandish like he was expected to in that moment. Severus Snape had made a point to never enter the girl's dormitories in any house, even in the Slytherin Dungeons. It was a show of respect and the only time he would venture in was when school was not in session in the summer.

He reached the top and headed towards the door before pulling out his wand and muttering an incantation to drop the wards and let him in. He grabbed the door handle and pushed open, praying that he would not encounter something brutal. The room was dark and it seemed that everyone was asleep until his eyes reached a bed that had the curtains pulled around with a lit wand and he could make out a silhouette sitting up and reading something. He slowly walked over to the canopy and snatched back the curtains to reveal Hermione Granger with piles of books and one very large text in her lap about Dark Magic. The Gryffindor jumped slightly at the pull of the fabric that covered her late night studying and her face drained of its color when she saw the last person she would have expected, Severus Snape.

"Professor?" Hermione shoved the book off her lap and stood up in respect of the foreboding man, "Erm, is something wrong?"

Severus looked at his disgruntled student with intrigue, she was in jeans and an oversized sweater with her hair pulled out of her face while small, lazy wisps of caramel tendrils leaked out of the messy bun, framing her face in a new light that he had yet to see before. She certainly was growing up from the bushy-haired know-it-all that he had grown to loathe and ignore. His jaw twitched before he flicked his wand and her cloak came flying from out of her dresser, "Follow me, please."

She gulped before taking her robes from her teacher, slipping on some shoes, and following him out of the dormitory in a most awkward scene. Hermione was more than grateful that Harry and Ron had decided to go to bed early so that they would not see her being lead out of her rooms by the Slytherin Head of House. Why had he ventured into her private chambers, to her bed? Why didn't he simply have McGonagall retrieve her? Was she in trouble? Hermione knew that Snape had been in the Gryffindor Tower multiple times throughout her school years but she had never actually witnessed it and she could hardly believe her eyes to see the infamous Slytherin in the warm glow of the rival common room. More whispers erupted when she emerged to the main floor where students were still studying as she filed behind the billowing black fabric.

Snape politely opened the portrait for her and let her pass through first, ever the proper teacher. Once the painting had closed, he set off in a fast pace towards the stairs with Hermione trying to catch up, "Professor, wait! What is going on? Is there something wrong…"

He turned and he watched as she quickly joined his side while the staircases moved and she continued her sentence in a whisper, "with _the Order of the Phoenix?_ Is everything alright?"

He rolled his eyes, "A few things came up and the Headmaster asked me to see to it."

She cocked her head, "Like what?"

"We will be going outside, it would be fitting if you wore your cloak." He mumbled, dreadfully.

Hermione frowned but didn't pester further—the former Potions Master now DADA professor was not a man to be trifled with and she did not want to receive detention over the holiday break. Snape led her down to the first floor and into the Entrance Hall of the castle that was decorated with lively Christmas adornments. Two large Christmas trees stood on either side of the grand staircase and as they descended the steps, she made a point to admire the splendor of the twinkling lights amidst the glass ornaments and shining ribbon.

"Severus? Miss Granger? What in God's name are you two doing out at a time like this?" Horace Slughorn slurred, a hint of alcohol in his breath most likely from one of his favorable Slug Club parties that she was always being invited to.

Hermione watched as Professor Snape looked at him in disinterest but bowed to him politely, "We were just fulfilling a few last minute requests for Albus."

Slughorn smiled, "Very well then… carry on as you were…" he stared off into the distance and began to wander again.

The Gryffindor stepped closer to the dark wizard, "He used to be your teacher, did he not?"

Snape looked down at the girl who was so close she was practically touching him. He watched her for a moment and the small actions she made subconsciously and he was a little more than intrigued. Hermione had her back turned to the meandering Professor Slughorn and kept her little hands at her heart. She actually moved even closer to him, blocking off herself from being vulnerable by lending herself to the dark wizard for protection from the drunk teacher.

"Yes, in fact, he did." He responded late but he wasn't sure that the Gryffindor was paying attention as he watched her eyes follow the figure that was disappearing in the smoky atmosphere of the torch-lit castle.

Her golden eyes trailed back to his black ones when she realized how close they were to touching. She instantly jumped back and Severus just rolled his eyes before making his exit out the large doors into the cold December snow without waiting for her to follow. Hermione blushed fiercely at the 'almost' contact with the older teacher and she couldn't wrap her mind around what had just happened. She knew if she needed to rationalize things then she would feel better about her brash actions. _He is in the Order of the Phoenix and you have become used to the man protecting you… that's it. No need to take things out of proportion when it is obvious you are just reacting to over five years of having security in knowing that Snape has always protected you, Harry and Ron._

Hermione shook her head at her ridiculous thoughts and raced out the door to see Professor Snape leaving her in the distance. She sighed before starting at a run through the fluffy, fresh snow that had fallen that day during classes, "Professor, wait please!"

Severus stopped as his breathless student came charging forward to catch up. Once she had finally arrived at his side, he made a move to continue walking when out of the corner of his eye he saw Hermione losing grip on the icy cobblestone beneath the snow and slipping. Out of reflex he quickly steadied her which in turn transformed her slippery fall into a slippery collision with the Potions Master. He heard Hermione yelp when she went crashing into his chest and she grasped at his coat for stability. Severus was more than amused at her struggle but was also quite uncomfortable at their close proximity again.

"Miss Granger, control yourself." He chided distastefully as he wrapped a large hand around her upper arm, trying to get her to stand upright. The girl was usually graceful and not so clumsy but he mused that the snow gave her the exception.

She blushed and looked up at the teacher, "Erm thanks, Professor… sorry about my fall—that was rather embarrassing."

He ignored her apology and turned on his heel when he heard scuffing shoes trying to get a grip once more and he turned around to see her back in the same position he found her before but this time he didn't reach out to steady her and she fell in a heap into the snow. He rolled his eyes, "Are you completely satisfied with showcasing you excellent skills in balance? I am quite tired of it, Miss Granger. Now come, we must hurry." He offered her his hand and she reluctantly took it, not used to contact with the foreboding Professor in the least.

He pulled her up effortlessly and she grabbed onto his arm to steady herself before composing her snow covered self and wiping a caramel wisp out of her face, "Thank you." She said more rudely, not happy that she once again had to be helped by the Potions Master who felt it was his life mission to make her life absolutely dreadful.

Severus once again started his walk towards the edge of the school grounds where they could apparate away and he was more than a little thankful that Hermione had decided to keep quiet. She had no idea what they were doing and he did feel somewhat guilty about not having her bring at least a change of clothes with her but it was too late for that now. They both were going to have a miserable time trying to endure the other's company for almost two weeks but he just shook it off and tried to remind himself that he had definitely been through much worse—he would take Granger any day over spending a whole summer with Pettigrew, or Wormtail as he liked to call him, fidgeting about Spinner's End.

"Where are we going, Professor?" Hermione piped up, halfway across the grassy fields with him.

"We are leaving school grounds." He muttered, waiting for her to catch up again.

She stopped in her tracks, "What? Why?"

He glared at her, "Do not ask me such questions, Granger. It was on orders of Albus Dumbledore. Trust me, I don't want to be anywhere near you either."

Hermione furrowed her brows, "That was rather rude."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm to keep her walking and pulled her along roughly, "You are just catching on to that now? I thought you were brighter than that."

She pouted her lip as she yanked her arm out of his, "You're a teacher! You are supposed to be above the witty remarks of a first year!"

He smirked, "Touché." Severus grabbed her again and pulled her to him, much to the horror of the young Gryffindor.

She froze, "What do you think you are doing? I am your student!" Hermione looked up at him in shock until she felt her body being stretched and pulled and hurled around in a whirlwind. He was disapparating them! Why didn't she guess that? She reprimanded herself for being so blind to the absolute obvious and was more than grateful that she had not tried to pull away from him in the process of the transfer. Having Snape steady her felt much better than just being thrown about like a rag doll in a tornado.

With a small pop, Hermione landed face first into the snow once more in front of a small, run down cottage.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey sorry this update was so late! I have had a terrible writer's block! Anyways… I do hope you enjoy this chapter! I know I did!**

**Please Review!**

Hermione sniveled from the cold as she removed her cloak once Professor Snape had opened the door to the run-down house… or shack, as she liked to think of it. Was this his home? Her mouth twitched in displeasure, Hermione always thought her teacher to have more refined tastes and at least a bigger place that wasn't so… dusty.

"Incendio!" Snape whipped his wand to a fireplace that seemed to not have been used in decades.

She tried to put on a happy face, not wanting to judge the man and his house for she had been criticized and scrutinized more than enough times to know that it was unfair. Hermione rolled up the fabric in her arms, "Is this your home?" she attempted to sound pleasant but by the growl that rumbled from the Potion Master's chest, she received her answer and waited to be reprimanded for her comment although it was hardly anything more than innocent.

He looked at her as if she were growing antlers from her head, "What do you think?"

She shrugged carefully, hoping to appear indifferent, "Erm… It's nice."

"Nice?" he choked and rolled his eyes as he siphoned the dust from the many surfaces around them with a wordless charm.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the one-room rickety cottage and gave a polite nod to the place, trying to show her dishonest approval, "Perhaps we can use an enlarging charm?"

She heard a noise from her teacher that she guessed to be a chortle of laughter but wasn't completely sure. Hermione turned to see him putting his wand away and stepping further into the room when he furrowed his brows, "It already has the spell in use to the maximum it can be taken."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her surroundings, not yet ready to set down her cloak on the old furniture. The little shack wasn't much larger than her bedroom at home. It contained one lumpy old bed with tattered, musty sheets, an armchair, a side table against the wall and a fireplace. She looked harder in the dim lighting and made out a nook in the corner where a small sink, three cabinets and a miniscule stove rested that looked to be irreparable and broken. There was a skinny door that hung on one hinge that led to what she guessed was the lavatory. It was hardly impressive and she still had absolutely no idea why they were there and what they were doing in the middle of the night.

Snape seemed to register her examination of the little room and ran a chapped, white hand through his unruly, black hair, "This is not my living quarters, Granger… in fact, this used to be a dollhouse."

Hermione's mouth gaped open but she tried to repress the groan of disgust that was threatening to ruin her polite façade, "A… a dollhouse, Sir?"

"This is one of the safehouses used by the Order, created by Professor Dumbledore."

She still appeared to be incredulous as her jaw dropped; gravity seemed to have its hold on it, "Dollhouse? I never even…"

Severus hissed in annoyance, "Yes Miss Granger, it is possible, now stop gawking."

Hermione shut her lips tight and glared at him when he turned his back to her, obviously looking around for something. The teacher turned back to her but let his gaze scan the floor awkwardly and she could sense that he was trying to decide what actions would favor their situation and it was so silent that Hermione could hear the man's slow breathing and the fire cracking in the hearth. She decided after awhile that her teacher would not be the first to break the overbearing, thick wall of quiet awkwardness that still hung between them. Taking a deep breath and bracing herself, she was slowly seated on the edge of the old bed to not appear as threatening to him and attempted to offer up a smile,

"So why are we here? What is going on? What did Professor Dumbledore want us to see to?" Hermione tried to give a pleasant tone to not set off the moody Potions Master.

Severus tightened his thin lips unpleasantly, "There were rumors of an imminent attack on Potter-"

Hermione jumped up, "What? We need to go back and get Harry!" she grabbed her cloak and headed towards the door.

He caught her collar and pulled her back, "Granger, let me finish."

She frowned, "What do you mean an attack on Harry? When are they planning it and why aren't we taking Harry with us… here?"

Rolling his eyes, he pointed to the bed where he wanted her to seat herself once more. She obediently complied not without a little reluctance on her end, but waited for him to explain everything. He did.

Hermione crossed her feet and tucked them behind her as she wrung her hands in a serious dread and nasty realization that she would indeed be stuck with Professor Snape until the attackers who wanted either her or Ron against Harry, were arrested or killed… at least until the winter break was over and they would be safe at Hogwarts again, "Why couldn't I have just stayed at the school?"

Severus remained cold, "Albus will be away for the holidays on business affairs and did not want any of the other students to be vulnerable during this Death Eater plot."

She bit her lip and stared at her hands, "Is this a reliable source of information?" she questioned, unsure and trying to find any way out of spending two whole weeks in the tiny shack with the bat of the dungeons for company and protection. She was going to be bored to tears, she knew it… either that or terribly bullied by the Slytherin teacher.

Snape was a little more than insulted at her questioning his rationality and expertise as a spy, unbeknownst to her, and he tried to behave unaffected but his annoyance crept through, "Yes, it is reliable!" he snapped.

Hermione flinched at his abrupt tone directed to her and she slightly fidgeted her body further from him, "Sorry…" she looked back up at him for just a glance, "Professor?"

"What!" he hissed.

"Erm… if we are going to be here together for two weeks… shouldn't we try to be a little more amiable?" She offered, hoping he would warm up to her a little bit. Hermione was more than determined to have a tolerable Christmas.

Severus smirked and slipped off his cloak with ease before seating himself in the armchair, "On what terms will we be affable and good-natured?"

Hermione gave him a genuine smile and changed her seating closest to the dark man, taking advantage of the rare and pleasant mood that he seemed to be in, although something affirmed in the back of her mind that it was sarcasm written across his face and not genuine pleasantry. She cleared her throat, "Well, if we are to spend such a vast amount of intimate-" Snape gave her a low growl at her word usage and she stiffened a bit in the awkwardness, "erm… _close_ and _personal_ time together over the holidays… perhaps we should behave more as agreeable acquaintances rather than—student and teacher?" she winced and shut her eyes, waiting for the lecture to follow her proffered idea.

To her pleasant surprise, there was no reprimand to follow but just silence. She realized that the Potions Master must have been weighing the outcomes of such an arrangement. He took out his wand in a elegant wave and flicked the long ebony instrument towards a crooked cupboard from which flew a dusty glass flute and an old bottle of a deep, ruby red wine. The floating objects magically performed the exercise that Snape had instructed it to do before the glass levitated towards the man now full of the red—almost black—liquid. He took a sip and swirled the contents of the flute around, creating a swishing noise that harmonized with the cracking flames, "And why would you want a friendly holiday with your teacher… as equals?" he said this as though the words were poisonous to utter.

She frowned and gave him the honest truth, licking her lips from her parched mouth as she watched the wine continue its circular trip around the delicate glass, "Because I want an enjoyable holiday… even if I have to spend it without the ones I love… I intend to be joined by more or less—a friend, if you will—rather than a teacher from school. I don't need any lectures if I have to be stuck here with you and I am more than positive that you feel the same way towards me." She explained, trying to take her eyes off the tempting liquid that was sating the Potion Master and probably diluting the sharp edge around his exterior.

"I hate Christmas." Severus announced.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "I don't care."

He looked somewhat taken aback by her rude reply, "Miss Gra—"

"I'm not Miss Granger to you… I am Hermione now and you are Severus. We are polite friends who had the misfortune to be marooned together here in this God-forsaken shack and I am determined to make the most of it." She stood up quickly, not wanting to hear his outrage at her disrespectful address and meandered to the bathroom, hoping that there would be a proper cleaning station to rid herself of the wet and dirty snow that had seeped through her clothing.

"Where do you think you are going?" Severus stood up, not happy… he had a thing or two to discuss with the forward girl.

Before she closed the door that was hanging on only one hinge, she replied, "I'm going to take a bath."

When Hermione had finished and she had used the Tergeo charm that Snape had cast earlier to get rid of the dust and she to clean up her clothes, she walked out with dripping wet hair and an oversized towel wrapped around her fresh body. There had luckily been a bar of soap that she had cleaned up with and had, after some desperation of the lack of cleansing serums for her hair, decided to use it on her wet tendrils that now had a bright sheen and clean scent. She saw Severus Snape still in the old armchair with a full glass of wine, filled to the brim and she was a little more than curious as to how many portions of alcohol the dark man had helped himself to. Was he really that turned off to her? Was she really that awful and grotesque to him that he couldn't handle the thought of her presence for two weeks? Did Hermione drive the usually proper man to a drunken state?

She walked up to him and took the glass out of his hand which he was just about to take a sip from, "How many of these have you had?"

Severus bolted up from his chair, "What are you doing?" his speech was somewhat groggy, and although she could see that the wine bottle was nearly empty, the Potions Master held his liquor quite well, it appeared. She, on the other hand, was a mess when it came to alcohol but shook herself from the bad memory and concentrated on the angry man in front of her.

"Are you trying to get drunk? I thought you were supposed to protect me, Professor!"

He sneered at her and waivered a bit but it was only normal to have him be a little woozy at the least. If he had been any more composed, Hermione would have thought he had dumped nearly three quarters of the intoxicating liquid down the dirty drain of the small sink. She steadied him with a hand against his chest, but he slapped the small gesture away, "I thought you didn't want to have a student-teacher relationship! I thought I was Hermione and you were Severus..." he mumbled while swaying again and Hermione supported his form again.

So maybe he was a little drunker than she thought, at least he held his words clear enough… "Alright, Severus. Why are you intoxicated?"

Hermione led him to sit on the bed and he held up a shaky hand to his temple, "Intoxi—what?" he murmured before groaning as his hair fell in his face.

"Why are you drunk?" she said it slowly and loudly.

He gave a growl at her pronunciation, not appreciating her treating him like a child… even if he was tipsy, "Because I drank almost the whole bottle." He said, matter-of-factly like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world and it made complete sense to him. He looked up and remembered he had not finished his recent glass that Hermione had so nastily stolen from him and stood up quickly to retrieve it off the small table beside the armchair.

"Oh no you don't!" Hermione tugged on his waistcoat, bringing him easily back to her as a dead weight where he came crashing to the bed.

He moaned and gave her a nasty look, "Don't touch me!" he scooted from her as if she had the plague. A drunken Professor Snape was more than she had bargained for when she had left him to take a bath.

She wanted an answer from him, "Why did you drink the whole bottle of wine, Severus?"

The Potions Master let his lips be remoistened by a quick slip of his tongue before he answered, "Because it tasted good."

Hermione rolled her eyes and decided that she probably wouldn't receive a legitimate answer from him as long as he was under the influence of the potent alcohol. He smirked at her while his hair covered his eyes, "You should try some."

Shaking her head no, Hermione tried to push the man back to lay down so she could look for a draught in the old medicine cabinet she found in the bathroom that would help sober up the poor man. He swatted at her, "Stop!"

"You need to lie down and rest!" she commanded him in an authoritative tone that he only mocked by silently moving his lips indignantly.

The man truly was a piece of work, "Professor Snape!"

He looked up and tilted his head quickly to whip his hair out of his face, "It's Severus, remember?" he corrected sarcastically with a goofy smirk, "I thought you were my friend, Hermione." He reminded her as if he was hurt that she didn't remember.

She was taken aback for only a moment, "If you want me to call you Severus then you need to be polite and listen to your friend."

Snape watched her carefully, his dilated pupils erasing any hint of the dark chocolate that was usually evident in a warm light. Before she thought he had understood her, she jumped a little when he went crashing to his back, against the bed as she had tried to get him to do earlier, while his legs still hung off the side. Hermione had to brace herself and remind her nagging spirit that the man before her was not truly Snape and she had to treat him accordingly. He was drunk and she needed to remember before she went around reprimanding the dark wizard who couldn't be held accountable in his delusional state. He lay silent; staring up at her with an expression she had never seen before and didn't know how to read.

"Why are you spinning?" he asked, breaking the barrier.

Hermione shook herself, "Oh erm… let me get something for you, I'll be right back."

He seemed concerned, "Where are you going?"

She glanced back at his vulnerable emotions and sighed, "I'm just going to the bathroom for a moment."

Snape started laughing hysterically and Hermione narrowed her eyes, not understanding what was so funny, "What are you laughing at?"

"You have to use the loo!" he cackled, holding his stomach.

Hermione sighed dejectedly and shook her head as she made her way to the small room where she had just cleaned herself up. To her complete disappointment, the cabinet was empty of any sobering drafts. She leaned against the wall for only a moment, dreading the thought of having to face the drunken Potions Master again. When she heard a gulping sound and a satisfied sigh, Hermione quickly exited the restroom to find Severus Snape almost unconscious with the glass that she had taken away, lying next to him while he lay soaked in the red liquid that he had spilled all over his coat, face and hair. She screamed to herself in frustration. Why had he all of a sudden just decided to get trashed? Wasn't he too proud for such actions? Obviously not, she considered.

She snapped her fingers in his face, still very angry and he opened his black eyes with a smile when he saw her, "'Mioneee…"

"It's Miss Granger to you!" she reproached and stepped back from him, folding her arms, as he tried to attempt to sit up. His actions were in vain.

Hermione had caught a glimpse of his face and felt a little guilty although the anger at him drinking even more had still not completely subsided. Severus' expression read of hurt and sadness, realizing that he had disappointed the girl somehow but his mind was too foggy to remember or to figure out why that was as he lifted his head, "I like 'Mioneee better… I'm Sev, by the waaay." He mumbled, his words thick with the alcohol that was hindering his speech now.

Her stern gaze softened somewhat, "I know who you are." She said, still a little hurt, "Let's get you to bed." She grabbed Snape's elbow and helped him sit up before she realized that he was still soaked from the wine. Hermione cursed her luck but didn't let the vulnerable, drunk sitting in front of her notice her loathing expression, "Do you think you can sit up on your own for just a moment?" She tried to ask but he seemed to be in quite a daze and his head lazily rested against her scantily clad chest, only a towel separating him from her skin which frightened her in more ways than one.

He mumbled something inaudible and she shook her head in frustration and stupidity as the teacher's weight lay firmly against her form. She decided that trying to get him to sit up like a big boy would be a little more than impossible so she laid him back down and retrieved a small, musty hand towel from the bathroom. Hermione returned with it soaked with unpurified water that she had to let run from the faucet for a few moments before it actually turned clear. Carefully, so as not to scar her or make the man uncomfortable, she started to remove his coat by letting her nimble fingers unfasten his many buttons. What she once used to be fascinated with, she now despised. Hermione used to think the many round fastenings were rather becoming on the Potions Master and detailed his elegant outfit with an air of sophistication but now she only cursed at the numerous amount that reminded her of what she was actually doing. Each button she undid, the more her conscience was screaming at her to let her remember that she was undressing her teacher! Her _teacher!_

How old was he? Surely at least forty? He appeared even older but when she reflected her eyes to his face, she saw an expression that made him look so much younger. Snape was watching her every move but was too groggy to come to his senses at what was really happening. Hermione just bit her lip and fumbled with the last button before breathing a sigh of relief as she help him sit up once more so she could slip his arms out of the coat. Thankfully, the thick material was sturdy enough to not spill more than a few spots of the wine to his dress shirt. Hermione helped him up to a standing wobble and coaxed him very gently to walk towards the head of the bed to where he could rest his head on the pillows and she could "tuck him in." As he ungracefully let his weight fall back onto the bed while Hermione helped his legs under the covers after removing his shoes, his black eyes traced her form with a sort of amusement that Hermione abhorred to see… drunken humor.

He smiled at her, "You're in a towel, 'Er—mionee." He slurred.

She couldn't help but crack a small grin at the way he said her name in his deep voice. For a split second she wondered how it would sound if he was sober… shivers ran through her body and she reprimanded herself for thinking such things about her teacher. Every girl she knew had had a crush at least once in their time at school and she was no exception but she had recovered from it rather quickly when Ron had decided to date Lavender. Her heart ached for the red-head. She closed her eyes for only a split second before she remembered where she was, "I am in a towel still because as soon as I came out to find a spare piece of clothing, I found you drunk!"

He raised a studious eyebrow, "I nnnever asked _you_ to helppp me. You stole mmmy glass too! Where isss it? I neeeed another—"

Hermione shook her head, "You drank it anyways, remember? Your bottle of wine is empty."

Severus gave her an evil grin and whispered to her as though he was trying to tell her a secret, "I have more, you know. Next time—"

Her eyes widened, "Next time? There won't be a next time, Professor! You are officially finished with your drinking streak as long as you are with me!" She stood up and walked towards a small dresser and pulled out a few drawers, "Sir?" she asked, needing his help.

He swung his face to the other side, groaning as if it weighed a ton, and frowned as he watched her search for something, "My name is Severussss."

Hermione eyed him, "You are still my teacher."

He narrowed his eyes, "Severusss Tobiasss Ssssnape!"

She looked back at him, hugging her towel to her tighter, "Alright _Severus_, if you have an alcohol stash then you must have other things here as well. Do you have any spare clothes so I can wash my own?"

"Last drawer… down." He mumbled before hiccupping and wincing and Hermione assumed his head was spinning and starting to ache.

She found neatly piled clothing that seemed to have rested there for about a year but she couldn't know for sure and she wondered why this seemed to be his secret hide out. What did he have to run from? Hermione pulled out a crisp white dress shirt and held it against her body, making sure it would be long enough to cover herself reasonably. She was still a little dumbfounded as she carried the piece of clothing into the bathroom for privacy that she would be wearing Professor Snape's clothing… it was an oddly personal feeling and she just hoped that when he woke up with a pounding hangover that he would not be outraged by her using his shirt as a nightdress. Hermione buttoned the shirt all the way down that almost reached to her knees but was a few inches short and examined herself in the grimy mirror above the sink. Her hair had dried into thick, golden waves and her skin glowed from the heat that the fireplace was emitting.

What would Professor Snape think of her if he was sober and she had come out dressed in his shirt, looking as she did then? It was almost challenging and sexy but she surely knew he would not be amused. She sniffed a faint fragrance on the clothing, past the musty smell that the shack reeked of, and could smell a spice that she knew must have been the teacher's own scent. She blushed but tried to forget her less than clean thoughts that her fancy from months before had consisted of and rolled up her sleeves, remembering that the dark wizard was still wet with wine on his face and hair. It was extremely awkward that she would have to… _touch_ his face but it was the decent thing to do. She assumed that he would be a little more than embarrassed that he had behaved so wretchedly by morning.

Hermione walked out of the restroom and saw Snape keeping his dark, glazed over, eyes staring at her more womanly figure coming towards him. She carefully climbed onto the bed and crawled over to her teacher, timidly. She took up the wash cloth and began her silent ministrations of wiping the almost dried red liquid off his face and neck. More nervous than ever, she tried not to meet the man's gaze that was staring at her as if she were an angel or his fairy godmother. He gawked at her more incredulously than she had ever seen him before.

"You're nnnot as ugly as you uuused to beee…" he slurred, giving a smile, like what he was saying was the sweetest thing in the world.

Hermione met his gaze, "You thought I was ugly?"

He grinned wider, "You weren't very prrretty. But nnnow you're beeeautiful."

Her cheeks blazed with a fiery red color and she tried to look away from his intoxicated eyes, but she found herself unable to rip her gaze to anything else, "Oh um… thank you."

Severus was pleased at her reply, "Are weee friends, 'Mioneee?"

Hermione gulped as she rubbed away the mess from his dark brow, "Erm… uh yeah, I mean yes."

He looked more than concerned, "But _not_ whennn I'm not drunk, riiight 'Mioneee?"

She was a bit unsettled by his comment, "Well you _are _my teacher—"

"You don't wanna beee my friend?" he frowned as he worded it like a statement rather than a question.

"Oh, erm we can be friends, Severus." She gave him a small smile and started rubbing his hair with the wet cloth to wash out the sticky mess.

"Promise? Even whennn… I'm not dddrunk?" he asked.

She felt saddened at his comment… its not that she didn't _want _to be friends with the man, if he was polite to her then she would return the favor… But the fact that he seemed so desperate to have her as _his_ friend was more than evident and she wondered if this was coming from an honest place in his heart. Severus Snape was lonely. Of course he was lonely! He scared away everyone who even seemed to care although Albus Dumbledore had not given up on him yet but all the others had.

"I promise." She affectionately let her fingers comb through the tangled hair that she had been rubbing. It was so soft! The black hair that everyone claimed to be greasy was as fragile and soft as silk.

At this action, Severus shut his eyes and moaned in pleasure at the small hand. What was this new side to him? Of course he was drunk but was he really that lonely and desperate to enjoy his Gryffindor student? She knew it wasn't in a sexual way that he asked for her to be his comrade, but out of desperation for acknowledgement and although he was intoxicated, she figured that her innocent actions would do for the night. He needed it. Hermione adjusted herself carefully beside him and let her head rest on her bended arm as she took the rag and rubbed it against his face. She had removed everything but he was enjoying it so much that she didn't have the heart to stop.

He opened the once closed black orbs and stared at her for a long time, "You're vvvery prrretty."

She gave him a small smile, almost wishing that the real Severus Snape would behave in such a kind way and not be so nasty to her, "You said that earlier, but thank you for telling me again."

"I can't helppp it. You're REALLY prrretty. Almossst all grrrown uppp!"

Hermione stopped her ministrations with the almost dry rag and noticed that he still had his neck piece on, "Oh you're cravat! I'm sorry!" she sat up quickly and undid the black fabric that held his collar so tightly to his neck.

By the time she had removed the ebony cloth, Severus Snape's features had softened even more in a soft slumber as his parted lips let out inescapable sighs of a long awaited sleep from the alcohol. She decided to wrap the covers over his now very limp body and waved her wand to the fireplace to calm it down to a few small flames. Scooting to the edge of the bed, away from her teacher, and Hermione curled into a small ball as the last conscience thought running through her mind was the compliments of a drunken Severus Snape playing through her mind.

_You're really pretty… almost grown up._


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Here is another chapter for you all! Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews last chapter and the chapter before! It is much appreciated and only helps to inspire me to continue! **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

Severus begrudgingly fidgeted, not really wanting to do anything but lay there and die. His head was exerting a pressure that threatened to crush his skull while his stomach turned in knots to warn him of his imminent future. He tried to block out the morning rays pouring through the windows that blinded him even though his eyes were tightly shut, he just couldn't seem to squeeze them closed enough. The cracking fire mixed with the damnable birds fluttering and singing outside the old house was enough to deafen his senses and he was ready to start throwing out a few unforgiveable curses if he couldn't get at least a little more rest before his stomach contents would make another appearance. Another sound permeated his overly receptive senses in the form of soft, tender sighs emitting from behind him on the other side of the bed. He buried his face in his pillow before daring to move to take a look at whoever was joining him on the old mattress.

Severus was careful to not move too fast although even the slowest shift was enough to send his poor head into crushing fits of weight. Still sensitive to the light, he barely cracked an eye open to see a beautiful young woman curled up in a ball with the sheets completely removed as a result of his painful turning throughout the early morning, trying to go back to sleep. She was still quite blurry but in the midst of the morning rays and the warm fire light that still brightly blazed, the girl's skin was glowing a peachy-gold while her long billowing bronze waves danced around her form in effortless wafts of silk. She appeared to be a goddess! He winced and shut his aching eyes to give them a break before attempting to open them again to stare just a little longer at the blurry young woman next to him. He unveiled his dark orbs again to more clearly understand that he was staring at Hermione Granger—in his own dress shirt—sleeping next to him!

His head began to ache even more… what did he do last night? Surely he and Granger couldn't have… no it was impossible! He could get drunk but not THAT drunk… right? He let his gaze linger a bit longer on the dress shirt that was wrinkled under her form but it was obvious by the way it was riding up around her thigh that she had nothing on underneath. He actually blushed at the thought of his student in such a stimulating outfit, going to bed with him? WHAT HAD HAPPENED? A comforting hand flew to his chest to double check that he was indeed fully clothed with his shirt and slacks. An enormous sigh of relief was heard escaping his lips as he realized that he had actually thought it possible that he had… tainted the young Gryffindor. So if that had not happened, then why was the girl sporting his dress shirt and curled up next to him in bed?

Before he could even let his mind wander further over the interesting topic of the morning, he felt his stomach lurch and he knew it was time to take his leave and retch in the restroom, away from the peaceful girl. Why was he even thinking like that? He didn't want to disturb the Gryffindor princess? That should've been the last thing on his aching mind! He conveniently found his place of residence amongst the cracked porcelain sink and bathtub and let his stomach take the reins. Hermione bolted up from the terrible sound of sickness and looked to her right where the man that had slept next to her through the night was now absent from her side and she concluded his whereabouts to be located in the lavatory. She was conflicted with the feeling that she should go help him and then the awful thought came to her that he would be furious to no end if she tried. He was a very proud man.

She ultimately decided her place was to remain in the room and wait for his episode of emptying his stomach to pass. Once he would finish, Hermione made a mental note to wash her clothing in the bathtub to ensure their cleanliness before she decided to do anything else with her uneventful day with the Professor. When he had finally stopped retching, she braced herself as she heard him turn on the faucet and splash water around which could have only been meant for his probably paler-than-usual face. A hand grasped at the rotting door frame for support as a black figure appeared in a defeated stance. Her conscience jumped at her again as she wanted to help the poor man but knew it would end in a backlash and they would just argue back and forth. The wizard was more than impossible to deal with and the best way to cope was to let him do what he wanted by himself and pay no attention to his shortcomings.

"Good morning." Hermione gave a soft smile to the teacher who sat on the edge of the bed on her side.

He looked up at her with a desperate yet annoyed expression plastered on his sick features, "Well didn't you have a pleasant night." He sarcastically whispered, rubbing his temples with his long fingers.

Even when he was sick, he was still sarcastic! Hermione sighed, "Not really… I had to take care of you!" she mumbled under her breath but his sensitivity to things around him aided him in her nasty comeback.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Watch your tone, Granger."

Hermione was reluctantly called back to his drunken state the night before when he begged her to still be friends with him even when he was sober and a flash of guilt ran across her face. Should she be nice or should she chew him out like what she had been rehearsing in her mind since she found him drunk after her bath? Hermione could always apologize but she didn't always get to have such a chance where Severus Snape was vulnerable enough to be lectured. She chose decidedly.

"Excuse me? What in the world made you think that it was alright to get drunk with your _student_ in your presence? Especially when you are supposed to be protecting me?" she crossed her arms defensively and before he could reply she held up a hand to hush him,

"Oh I'm not finished yet, _Sir_! Did you magically just decide, _Hey I'm going to get drunk tonight!_? I mean really, Professor!" She laid into him for all it was worth as he flinched with every word she said because of his pounding headache, "You put your fate in my hands and anything could have happened! Are you a compulsive drinker? An alcoholic? Should I alert Professor Dumbledore? I am NEVER taking care of you again! The gall you had to put your miserable drunken state into my hands is appalling, Sir!"

Severus really couldn't think of anything to argue back with and knew that everything she was saying was correct. He knew better… and yet he also had the sense to know that they would never be found in the little cottage, especially for the Death Eaters to track him down with Granger—was more than improbable. The situation presented an opportune time for him to just drink his misery away at the thought of sharing fourteen days with the annoying girl!

He hissed at her, "That's my shirt!" he said possessively like a child who wasn't willing to share his toys.

Hermione blushed but shook it off, "Well if you would have TOLD me that I needed a few more pairs of clothes back in the common room, then I wouldn't need _your_ shirt while my own is dirty!"

The teacher rubbed his aching temples in a pathetic motion and he could hardly keep up with the way she was berating him. He deserved to be yelled at but he would never admit it. He did remember, however, that he had offered Hermione a glass of wine when she had returned from her bath and she refused. They could've been blissfully intoxicated together and she wouldn't be yelling at him at that very moment. He grumbled a bit and hoped that if he remained silent that her chastisements would cease. They didn't.

"So until my clothes are clean, I will be reduced to this!" she had hopped off the bed and motioned to the wrinkled dress shirt that was more revealing and tempting than Hermione was aware of although Severus did not fail to notice it. There were slits up the sides of the shirt that let her glowing skin peak through and the fabric was thin enough to see her curved silhouette through the glowing light of the bathroom behind her. Thankfully her long hair covered her chest that he was almost positive that if her waves weren't shielding her, the shirt definitely could reveal something neither of them were ready for.

What was he doing? The thoughts running through his mind were delirious and he blamed them on his poor state of health at the time. He was the girl's teacher and she was only seventeen! He shook his pounding head and tried to rationalize with himself that he was only a man and although he could be attracted to a younger girl, there would be nothing that could make him act on his feelings. He was absolutely sure of it because it was wrong in every way, shape, and form possible! She was a minor and he an adult and he would not let her scantily clad form tempt him any further than the private thoughts of his own mind that he could hardly help.

"I thought we were on a first name basis last night." He mumbled, hoping she wouldn't hear but she unmistakably had.

"Well… not when I'm angry with you!" she huffed, crossing her arms.

He rolled his eyes, "Heaven forbid I make you irate…"

She furrowed her brows and realized how much pain he really was in and that her yelling was not helping at all. Should she bring out her Gryffindor kindness or should she give him her Slytherin side that Ron and Harry always reminded her she possessed?

"_Really Hermione, you should have been sorted into Slytherin with an attitude like that!" Harry nudged her ribs with his elbow playfully._

_Ron snickered, "Yeah… sure would give Snape and Malfoy a bloody run for their money!"_

Her flashback subsided and she hesitantly walked towards the sick man and pushed his hands away from his temples, "Stop that!" she reprimanded, "You are only making it worse!"

He glared at her, "I'm trying to nurse my wounds and yet you see fit to keep them open as long as possible. Every time you speak, you make my ears want to bleed." He snarled in a painful whisper.

"I wasn't the one getting plastered last night!" she shot back but realized that arguing with him at that moment was futile and she wasn't getting the pleasure out of it that she thought she would. He wasn't nearly as fun to banter with when he was in pain. The Gryffindor sighed in defeat, "Let me help you. My mother used to help my headaches go away… I can make yours at least a little better."

She left him for only a moment to retrieve the hand towel she had used the night before and wet it down with burning hot water that she had to charm to get steaming. Hermione climbed onto the bed behind him and crossed her legs before pulling him back by his shoulders. He resisted, of course, but after reassuring him thoroughly that she could help his pounding head, he acquiesced. Severus leaned back very cautiously and realized that she had laid his head in her warm lap. Before he knew what was happening, she had rested the folded up, hot material over his eyes that reached his aching ears that rang with sharp pains and let her finger pads slowly and very gently massage his temples and scalp. Instant relief spread through his head and Hermione watched as the man's thin lips parted with a sigh of liberation from the pressure.

Although she would never admit it, the feel of her fingers running through his long raven hair was something that she ached for since she had combed through it the previous night. It was much too soft for its own good and she envied her teacher for such beautiful tresses. After a good twenty minutes of this, she decided it was safe to speak and she offered up what was on her mind with an excitement that she was trying to contain, "Christmas Eve is in two days."

It took him awhile to formulate anything tangible and audible, "I thought I told you I hated Christmas."

She smiled even though he couldn't see and probably didn't care to, "I know. But that's not going to stop me from celebrating it. And maybe I can convince you that it isn't SO bad."

He sighed, "Doubtful," he huffed and turned his head away from her soft hands. Severus sat up and removed the hot towel from his relieved eyes and looked at her seriously.

Hermione inhaled sharply at his glistening lashes from the wet towel that brought out the dark chocolate color that she admired so much. Almost all of the students at Hogwarts believed that the Potions Master's eyes were black but she knew better. She had seen a rich color in them in class one day a few years back and she had never forgotten the glimmer that the warm light had against his dark orbs.

"I thought you said you would never take care of me again." he questioned, apparently trying to egg her on to start an argument. He seemed frustrated for an unknown reason and she couldn't place why. His head ache seemed to have subsided but his anger seemed to only be fueled by her generosity.

Hermione wasn't sure how to react to his words. She had indeed yelled at him that she would never help him again… and there she was, trying to nurse her most hated professor back to health! She could feel a blush creep into her cheeks as she tried to swallow. Hermione bit her lip, "I did, didn't I?"

He raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing as Hermione gingerly took the towel from his hands and ever so gently rubbed his left temple in an act of kindness, "I suppose you are my teacher, and now my protector and I have been reprimanding you all morning—I thought I owed it to you to make up for my lack of gratefulness. I never thanked you for bringing me somewhere safe and this is the best way I know how to repay my debt."

Severus licked his lips unconsciously at the beautiful young woman who, in fact, appeared to care a great deal for what he was doing for her. Hermione blushed considerably when she saw him moisten his mouth… what was he thinking? The look in his eyes was unreadable but in that moment she felt a substantial amount of heat travel through her limbs and her heart thumped faster for only moments before she realized what was going on. Was she lusting after her teacher? The Bat of the Dungeons? The Greasy Slytherin Git? The Feared Potions Master! Hermione broke eye contact and made a large gulping sound before removing the towel from his face and fidgeting in her position on the bed. She stood up, embarrassed at her quickened breathing for she knew that he had not misinterpreted her reactions,

"I'm going to go wash my clothing." She announced awkwardly.

He narrowed his eyes, warily, "Why don't you just use magic?"

Hermione was still mortified, "Because it doesn't seem right. If you do it by hand… it just… feels better."

Before she entered the lavatory, Hermione had picked up the crumpled coat on the floor that was stained with the wine and he curiously watched her come near him again. Her gaze was glued to the floor and he was more than amused at her hesitancy around him. He couldn't believe the response he received from her just moments before when all he had to do was look at her.

"Would you like me to…" she pointed to the small red, almost purple, stain near his shoulder on the white shirt he was wearing.

He realized she was offering to hand-wash his clothes as well and suddenly felt a pang of guilt for being irreverent around her. She truly was a kind girl and although it annoyed him, he did very much appreciate it. Snape quickly retrieved another clean pair of his usual garments from the drawer and entered the restroom to change. The heat was still spreading through her when she realized that her teacher was undressing with just a thin wall dividing them and a door that did not close all the way because of the broken hinge. Hermione tried to contain herself, telling her conscience that it was just the schoolgirl crush coming back because of their close quarters together. Snape came back looking as elegant as ever in his stiff clothing and long button down coat: his signature. Hermione pushed passed him quickly with her eyes plastered on the old floorboards and found cover in the bathroom where her garments lay in a pile while her teacher's stained attire was neatly folded for her ease.

She quickly set to work, filling the bath with warm water, broke off a piece of the bar of soap, and set to work on her teacher's white shirt while the rest of the clothing soaked in the bubbly water. Severus preferred his clothes to be washed by hand and always made sure that the house elves followed his simple wish… it simply looked better than siphoning dirt from the fabric which wears out the material much faster than the way muggles did it. It always smelled better that way as well and he knew of many witches and wizards who have opted for the muggle machinery in their homes to help assist to assure a clean wash. He did appreciate her attention to detail and knew that she, being raised with muggle parents, could probably tell that his coat was always covered with a stiff starch that was never used in the wizarding world.

Severus had sat around for a half hour, listening to Hermione swish the water around in the bathtub while she scrubbed away at the clothing and he was officially bored. He quickly decided that a nice walk around the woods that surrounded them was in order and he pulled on his thick cloak before retreating to the bathroom where Hermione was working hard. He felt bad for just leaving her to tend to his own garments but then he reminded himself that she was the one who offered. He let his knuckle slightly rap on the broken door as he watched a rather soaked Hermione still scrubbing away. The white shirt was clinging to her skin and the Potions Master was able to see the deep curves of her back and hour glass waist. He tried to ignore it when Hermione turned to him with sweat glistening on her brow from the steam in the room,

"Hmm?" she pushed a wet curl from her face.

Snape stood a little taller, "I am going to take a bit of a walk and bring back some more firewood."

Hermione sighed, "Oh alright. Erm… Professor?"

He tilted his head, trying not to be rude, "What?"

"By the time you get back… it will be lunchtime if not later. Do we have any food that I can make us?" she offered quietly, "or something I can pack for your walk?"

If he felt like a terrible person before, now he really felt awful. She wanted to make him lunch as well? He took in a deep breath and tried to cope with her sweet disposition. Where was the feisty Gryffindor he had bits and pieces of memories of from last night? Where was the fire? She was being so nice that it was making him feel like the scum of the earth, "I believe there are a few canned items but not much. I don't need anything right now, Hermione. But thank you for offering."

A blush burned fiercely in her cheeks at his addressing her by his name but she tried to not let it show, "Well when you get back, I will have something fixed up for us."

He nodded to her and turned and took his leave, letting Hermione continue her washing. She had a goofy smirk on her face at the ironic situation they were in. Who were they really? It was too perfect. They were in a dollhouse, she was cleaning and about to cook, while Severus left to get more firewood to keep them nice and toasty? She shook her head in amusement; it was as if they were playing _House_.

By the time Severus had finally returned to the little run down shack it was nearly nightfall. He cursed at himself for taking an extensive route but he argued to himself that he needed a break very badly from the confusing Gryffindor. He could see that no smoke rose from the chimney and realized that in his absence, he had taken his sweet time… enough time to where the last embers had burnt out. And what about the food? How considerate was he? Lunch was hours ago and he assumed that she thought he wouldn't be long. He shook his and walked into the small house to see candles lit and Hermione wrapped up in her freshly cleaned clothing as well as the blankets from the bed and she was huddled in the small armchair in the corner. She looked very put together considering their location and he could even see that she pinned back her hair neatly. Was that for him? Was she trying to impress him?

"Gra- oh erm Hermione are you alright? I apologize!" He tried to cover up, although he knew he sounded less than earnest.

Hermione shivered and looked up with sadness crossing her sweet features. She lifted her arm to the small table where she had made him a plate of food that was now freezing cold. He could see his breath in the room and guilt fled through his form even harder than before. He left her alone in the cold! She really had nothing to burn so trying to use the Incendio charm on anything besides the old candles would have proved useless.

"You lunch is cold." She stood up and rearranged the rusty silverware and plate, attempting to make it look somewhat more appealing. Hermione could only find canned goods in the cupboards and a bag of beef jerky which she decided she would save for Christmas Eve. Vegetables lay in different assortments on the plate along with mashed potatoes that she had concocted from the potato pearls.

Severus unloaded the stack of firewood in his arms into the hearth and quickly lit the fire before facing the disappointed and probably very lonely girl, "I lost track of time, I do apologize. You did not deserve to be deserted while you were trying to serve me." He mumbled, becoming annoyed at how kind her actions were only to make him feel even worse! His eyes meandered around the room before looking to the young woman and he found his coat that had been soiled and it was somehow expertly iron-pressed with starch helping the garment become stiff… just as he liked it.

He locked her gaze for only a moment to find something he was waiting for. Her eyes were burning with anger at the teacher and he really could blame her. First he got drunk and then he decided to leave her all day, slaving away for him inside the shack. Some protector he was. But he had to admit, the time he spent away was well needed! She was infuriating and confusing and loving and just… a mix that he could not sort through. Hermione quietly stepped back from him and left him to go to the lavatory. When she came back, he saw her hair was out of its bun and was cascading down her back effortlessly while her attire consisted of his long white dress shirt that was still wrinkled from that morning. She climbed into the middle of the bed without a word to him, pulled the covers up to her shoulders, and sighed, "Good night."

He knew she was upset and he deserved it… again. Severus took one look at the food and although it appeared extremely unappetizing, he was starving! He sat down, mumbled a spell to warm up the sad little meal and gorged through the preserved vegetables. He could tell that he was not allowed anywhere near her, not that he particularly wanted to be by any means, but she sent a message to him that he was not allowed to share the old bed with her that night. Severus resorted himself to the floor after finding an old cross-stitched pillow from the arm chair and his cloak as his blanket.

Although Hermione was infuriated with the dark wizard, it did not go unnoticed by her that he ate his dinner gratefully and made his own bed on the hard floor, understanding her wishes to not be near him at all. She sighed… her conscience getting to her—he was probably going to freeze and be so uncomfortable on the floor—even if she was mad at him…

She shut her eyes and tried to ignore her nagging mind as the fire cracked and a tired sigh came from the foot of the bed from the Potions Master.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long to update! Work has been a killer! I have been more exhausted than usual but I promise to update more often! Thanks for being so patient, it is much appreciated. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**Please REVIEW!**

After a few minutes of annoyed wrestling through the sheets along with more than a few toss and turns, Hermione sat up with a loud huff. Her teacher had been trying to become comfortable himself but he was much more graceful about it and polite, not making near as much noise and frustrated heaves that she was. The bed was stiff, musty and a little more than inviting but was none the less appreciative for its comforting warmth amidst the hard floors that the Potions Master had been condemned to. Hermione knew it wasn't neither the loose springs nor lumps in the old mattress… nor the scratchiness of the old blankets, nor the flatness of the pillows that she had to prop up with her arm… but the nagging conscience of her Gryffindor mind. Wasn't she just earlier reminding herself how her two best friends thought that she could pass for a Slytherin? Why was she feeling so… _sympathetic_ to the man that teased her relentlessly through her school years, took points away from her house, always tried to catch her in the act of something mischievous, and loathed her talent for the subject he taught?

_Probably because I am young and sleeping in a warm bed while he is an old man and sleeping on a hard floor!_ She almost wanted to laugh at her reasoning. That was the farthest thing from the truth! She knew that although he had done her wrong twice already in a twenty-four hour period, she still felt guilty that she had sentenced him to a night on the old warped planks of wood. Snape probably could hear by the sound she made of deliberate moving that she was sitting up in bed but he made no note of it and never commented. What should she do? How could she go to sleep?

_Damn conscience! _Hermione thought bitterly as she folded her arms indignantly over her chest suddenly remembering that it was freezing outside the covers. Was her teacher cold? Probably not… since he was right in front of the fire. She heard nothing from the man and wondered if she possibly was incorrect at her judgment of his conscious state. Was he asleep? He wasn't making any more noise and his breathing was even but yet… there was that familiar sense that she was not alone in her annoyed sense of alertness. What was she to do if she couldn't fall to sleep? Last night had been all too easy for the both of them to slip into a deep slumber and now they were in an even more awkward position, at least to her, now that they were both wide awake but she on the bed and he… banished to the floor. What was even more unnerving was the fact that student and teacher were in such close proximity to each other and were destined to be paired together in that god-forsaken shack for another thirteen days until the term resumed.

Were they ill-fated to stay awake in their discomfited situation for the rest of the night? What would she do? Collapse back into the sheets, on the flat pillows, and ignore her incessant guilt at the dark wizard's plight? No, of course not. So what would be her next best move? Admit defeat and invite him back to bed? No! That just sounded perverted and… just awful. Bile was caught in her throat at the thought of her and the teacher consummating lust-filled cravings that she had read about so many times before in books that her invitation to the man to come back to bed had implied. She would definitely NOT ask him to join her on the old mattress. No matter how she attempted to re-word her apology and free him of such a harsh setting as the floor boards, Hermione knew it would be impossible to politely share the old lumpy mass. And besides, why should she have to apologize? He brought everything upon himself! She shook her head pathetically and rested her chin in her hands that pulled the covers up over her shivering form.

Snape didn't deserve her kindness and yet she felt like she owed it to him. Behind the harsh exteriors and nasty comments, the Potions Master meant well when dealing with her studies. He challenged her, contradicted her, gave her extra work, critiqued her when no one else would bother, and he treated her, although rather unfairly, the way that the world beyond the school would. With contempt. He never gave exceptions or special privileges. He was harsh and strict and it somehow made the Gryffindor a little grateful for his brutal honesty and techniques with which to prepare her for what she would face after graduating. A world… a people… a way of life… completely against her. All the other teachers favored the Gryffindor Princess but she was more than willing to accept the challenge that the old professor was willing to offer her. No matter how long and how hard she worked at the wizard's grueling homework, nothing was ever good enough. She never received perfect scores on her work except for tests when all of his hounding and badgering would pay off in an Exceeds Expectations. He never complimented her dexterity at Potions but she knew that somewhere deep down he was pleased. Never proud of her… but pleased at her readiness to take on any challenge thrown her way.

So in a weird sort of manner, she had an odd respect for the bat of the dungeons that she couldn't say her friends shared. They didn't even deserve the scores they were now getting from Slughorn who was much nicer and dare she say it, sweeter. Probably because the man loved to surround himself in the lives of famous and extremely intelligent people so Hermione and Harry were always the exception to any grades. It made her a little sick that he so easily handed out undeserving marks to students but she just pushed it from her mind and tried to concentrate on her latest complaint—her next move. Hermione decided it would be best if she acted like she needed to go to the bathroom or something rather than lean over to spy on the wizard to see if he was indeed sleeping or just being extremely quiet. She quietly scooted her way out of bed and let her toes grace the cold floor before adjusting the dress shirt she was wearing, trying to pull it down as far as it could go.

The room was a bit warmer because of the now raging fire in the hearth but it wasn't to her liking as of yet. Hermione grabbed the blanket on the bed and wrapped it around her slim form before venturing further into the dimly lit room, trying to ignore the dark wizard on the floor, as if she had a real purpose for needing to get up. She moved on the balls of her feet, trying to be stealthy and headed towards the lavatory. Once finished with sufficiently sounding rather busy, opening up the cabinet doors and turning the faucet on and off, she sneaked back so she could catch a glimpse of the man who filled her guilty conscience. He was on his side, facing the fire, with sparkling dark eyes wide open in the light of the flames. Hermione stood there, captivated by the teacher's silent and thoughtful form, before his orbs darted to her blanket covered body.

"What?" he asked above the crackling firewood, his voice was rather hoarse from the amount of time he had gone without using it.

She gazed a little longer, her eyes unblinking before she had to forcefully rip herself from him and shook from the cold and wrapped the sheet around her a bit closer, "Nothing." She said rather defensively but she didn't move.

"Miss Granger, are you going to gawk at me with dropped jaws all night or will I be relieved from having such a sight distracting me from my sleep?" He droned sarcastically in response to her statuesque blanketed body that was humorously similar to a cocoon.

She huffed and leaned her weight on one leg, looking precariously annoyed, "It's not like you were asleep before I was standing here."

He gave a roll of his sparkling eyes, "Before you were standing there, you were causing a raucous in the bathroom doing only God knows what and before that you were rocking the bed and sighing so loudly I couldn't block you out even with an Imperturbable charm."

"That's not true!" Hermione hissed as she swayed back and forth on her heels while hugging the material closer around her shoulders.

Snape turned on his back and folded his hands behind his head, "Goodnight, Miss Granger."

Exasperation could not describe her foul mood with the impossible teacher, "And here I was feeling sorry for you!"

An actual laugh escaped his lips and he sat up with a large smirk on his face while his hair was a bit tousled, "Oh really? And that was why you were trying to keep me awake?"

"No I was actually going to invite you back—erm… I mean I was feeling bad you were on the floor." She had to mentally remind herself about her pep talk earlier… no mentioning of sharing a bed was supposed to come up!

He raised an eyebrow suspiciously before laying back down, "Go to bed."

Her guilt was welling up inside her as she saw his form slump back on the hard floor. He resumed his far off gaze into the fire that his dark eyes glittered from. She couldn't climb back onto a cushioned mattress when he was braving it out on the ground. With a small huff that blew a curl out of her face she unceremoniously stomped over to her professor, "Oh move over!" she demanded.

Severus was called out of his trance and swiftly sat up, confused more than anything, "Excuse me?"

She slumped to the floor, commandeering his small amount of space he had in front of the hearth and he had to jerk his legs out of the way before she landed on him. Hermione fidgeted next to her teacher, bracing her back against the bed frame and stared into the flames, feeling more awkward than ever. What was she doing? Trying to befriend her teacher? She wasn't making his situation any better by not only still forcing him to remain on the floor but she was keeping him from his sleep. It did make her feel better, though, knowing that she was just as uncomfortable as the teacher and wasn't hogging the bed to herself. Snape watched with keen interest at the young girl beside him as her blanketed shoulder grazed his coat that he had yet to remove. He didn't really know what to say… he wasn't tired in the least. He was exhausted but not sleepy and the floor was extremely trying and uninviting to a peaceful slumber that he so rarely achieved.

"What are you doing?" he questioned quietly, almost insulted that she was so close.

She shrugged and shoved her bare legs out in front of her, letting the fire warm her skin. Hermione bashfully kept her eyes on the burning wood, "Well you don't deserve to sleep in that bed… but… I still feel bad… so I am toughing it with you."

Why would she do such a thing? Gryffindors were truly idiots, Snape's suspicions were affirmed. He sighed, annoyed, "Why? I think I can handle it myself, Miss Granger."

"Because I actually have something called a _conscience._ Unlike you Slytherins… who are so selfish and nasty!" She cackled at her little joke that was meant to insult the teacher.

He just smirked, "You are absolutely right. If our roles were switched, I wouldn't have thought twice about making you sleep on the floor and I definitely would NOT be trying to make myself feel better by _toughing_ it out with you. I would be fast asleep knowing you were completely uncomfortable."

Hermione gasped and playfully rammed her elbow into his arm, "You really are horrible! What kind of a teacher are you?"

Although taken aback by her physical touch, his small display of amusement rumbled in his chest, "I'm _your_ teacher…"

Her cheeks flushed a bright crimson at the comment but when she heard him finish his statement she knew the insinuation she believed him to be making was not as she thought.

"So watch what you say because I could very easily give you detention when we arrive back at the school."

Hermione wrinkled her nose in annoyance, "That is supposed to scare me?"

"No… more so to intimidate you." He knew she had an extreme fear of the punishment and had yet to receive it—the girl was just bluffing. She didn't respond and he took this in stride, "Is it working?"

She gulped and nodded, "Yeah—anyways what were you thinking about before I got up?"

The question threw him off guard completely. Snape looked at her questionably and tried to not let his gaze wander on her long, bare legs any longer than he could manage but with her constant fidgeting, it was becoming a chore for him. Hermione had grown up so fast; he wondered why he never really noticed her before. She would surely become his best pupil he had taught so far and seeing her grow from a scrawny unattractive Gryffindor into a well-groomed witch was rather pleasant, "What?"

Hermione wrung her hands in her lap as she curled her toes, letting the heat envelope every part of her in its utter warmth, "You know… I saw you just staring into the fire and you looked like you were lost in your own world."

He snickered quietly, "I was trying to distract myself from the amount of noise you were making. It is utterly ridiculous how loud you are."

She nudged him with her elbow again, "Seriously! Stop making fun of me and tell the truth."

Snape looked down to the golden colored girl before stretching his long legs out, mimicking her own position, realizing it offered more warmth than his previous stance, "And why would I give you the pleasure of knowing? You are highly mistaken if you think we have formed some sort of friendship that has now entitled you to my personal thoughts."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You are so boring. You are no fun at all."

"I never believed you to think me in any other light." He sighed, leaning his head against the frame of the bed.

She frowned at this but didn't comment, "So what do you want for Christmas?"

"I beg your pardon?" he narrowed his eyes down at her.

"You know… what gift would you like for the holidays? We are stuck here for some time… so we might as well celebrate together."

"I already told you Granger!" he was about to remind her about his loathing of the holiday when he had a better idea.

She cocked her head thoughtfully, "You told me what you wanted?"

He weighed this question for some time, "Actually I know exactly what I desire."

Surprised at the way he worded his statement, she blushed and licked her suddenly dry lips. For some reason, the man was intoxicating and always sent her mind reeling at his words in a twisted sort of way. She guessed it was her little fancy coming back which she decided had never fully left and whilst she was in his presence, Hermione figured she would unleash it for a time as to get her thoughts off of the red-head that she had left behind at the castle, "What?"

Snape made a hissing noise, "All I want…" he continued, "is to not have Christmas."

Hermione straightened, broken from her love stupor, "Why?"

"I abhor Christmas. This is the third time I have had to explain it. How many more times must I remind you?" Severus rolled his eyes and folded his arms indignantly.

"Well aren't you a Grinch!" Hermione mumbled under her breath.

"A what?" he spat out annoyed at her name calling.

She then smiled, remembering her muggle influences were coming back to her, "Oh nothing."

"I think you should go to bed." He very suddenly decided for her.

Hermione looked at him confused, rather enjoying her argumentative yet thoughtful conversation they were having, "Was it because of the Grinch thing?"

He rolled his eyes, "No it is because I am tired!"

She looked him up and down, "No you're not!"

His head snapped to her, "I am tired of _you_."

Furrowing her brows, a look of hurt passed over Hermione's features in a flurry. She awkwardly looked to her hands in her lap, "Oh… um… alright."

Once she had stood up, Severus noticed the cold rush over his left side where she had been practically pressed up against him throughout. She took a few steps away from him until she turned around. Before he had any time to react or say something nasty to get her to leave him in peace, she huffed, "Hold on… why should I listen to you? We aren't in school! You can't tell me what to do!"

To say he was shocked at the outburst was an understatement. He was left speechless as she whipped off her blanket, threw it at him to catch before she snatched up an old radio off the kitchenette's little counter and sauntered back over to him before slumping back down, even closer than before. She ignored him as she played with the dials for quite some time before he had had enough of her sour attitude.

"Stop that!" he snapped.

Hermione looked up at him before returning to her labor of love on the old, dated box of metal. She wouldn't comply to his demands as long as he kept up his nasty façade. Sighing, Snape let her win the silent battle, "What do you want from me?"

She thoughtfully returned her gaze to his own, "Your company. I know you're not tired, and neither am I… but I would rather be with you than just tossing and turning on that lumpy old thing."

He snorted, "I wouldn't mind sleeping on it."

She smirked and reveled in her punishment she had given him, "I know you would."

Snape rolled his eyes, "Oh give me that, would you? You will only break it further!" he snarled as he yanked the radio from her grasp and started working on it with much more knowledge on the mechanism than she even knew.

"I didn't know you could fix radios. I didn't even know you knew what a muggle one looked like." She raised an eyebrow at his skillfulness.

Severus shook his head, "You wouldn't."

Hermione leaned in closer and he stiffened a bit but realized that she meant no ill will towards him. She only wished to watch his hands work on the aged piece of junk. She sighed, content with faith that somehow her teacher could fix it, "I didn't think a Slytherin would be interested in anything _muggle_."

He looked over to her and stopped his tinkering, "And why do you suppose that?"

She laughed like it was obvious, "Almost _all_ Slytherins are of pure blood and hate muggles! Especially muggle-borns."

The teacher's mind was recalled briefly to a certain red-headed girl but he switched his gaze back to the firmly stated girl who seemed to have a rather strong grudge against all those who belonged to his house, "I wouldn't say that, Granger. It's not wise to stereo-type."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh please, Professor! Name one student you know of, besides Voldemort, who had even ONE parent that was a muggle! There are none!"

He pondered on whether he should reply to her or just feed her growing hatred towards the green and silver represented students but before he could really decide, his mouth had made the final verdict before his mind could, "Me."

Hermione stiffened and sat up, removing her body heat from the teacher's left arm once more, "Oh! Erm… I am sorry, Sir. Please forgive me… it was not my place."

Severus cursed his quick tongue but decided that there was no going back and decided to turn it into a lesson for the Gryffindor, "Think before you judge, Granger."

After at least a few more minutes of awkward silence, he had resumed his playing with the radio while Hermione leaned her head against the bed frame and sighed and asked tentatively, "So… do you know how to fix other muggle machines?"

He set the thing on his lap and turned his weary gaze to her that had been wounded in his revelation he gave to her. He NEVER shared anything personal and he was feeling a little more than vulnerable, "Why?" he asked cautiously.

She had an ulterior motive but tried to brush it off, "Just curious."

He could read her better than even Harry… and that was definitely saying something, "Granger." He gave her a tone that announced he was not interested in playing games and if she had a purpose to her silly question, then she better spill out to him and come clean.

Hermione sighed, "Well… warming spells aren't very effective on food… or anything for that matter," she explained, "I know you said you hate Christmas but… I couldn't bear the thought of not celebrating it and…" she winced, waiting for him to berate her but he didn't so she kept talking, "if we had a working oven, I could make us a wonderful dinner. My mother taught me some superb recipes… "

She wanted to make him a nice dinner? Severus sighed and looked down to his lap at the radio, "And you didn't try the repairing charm?"

Hermione sighed, "If you haven't attempted it on the radio yet then you know exactly why! The Reparo charm hardly works on muggle items… it functions best on broken magical artifacts. I tried. I mean… I have fixed Harry's glasses too many times to count… but that doesn't really count when you are considering muggle machinery."

He continued letting his fingers run over the inner workings on the back of the radio, "And how, dare I even ask, will you get any decent food to cook?"

She swallowed hard and knew that there was no gentle way to say it so she just spurted out what she really wanted, "Have you ever hunted before?"

His gaze flicked to her curiously and then, realizing her insinuation, he shook his head strongly, "Don't even think about it."

"But Professor, I am starving and we only have chicken jerky and a few cans of corn left! How are we going to live off of that for another week and a half?" she begged, knowing if anyone could bear to kill an animal, it would be best to ask a Slytherin… not that that was what they did in their free time, but they didn't seem to have such a guilty conscience about doing something she thought was absolutely dreadful.

"You certainly gave me a large portion. Why would you waste so much in one meal?" he sighed exasperatedly. Food had been the last thing on his mind when he had been following Albus' orders.

Hermione looked down, bashfully, as her stomach growled, answering the dark wizard's answer, "Don't tell me you gave me your food?" he moaned, looking down at his student.

She nodded hesitantly, "I wasn't that hungry at the time and I figured you would be famished after you came back from your long walk."

"You're even thicker than I previously believed." He rubbed his temples in frustration, letting the radio sit in his lap while he tended to the aching beat in his head.

Hermione shifted herself, folded her legs and crossed them while facing the dark wizard with interest. She pushed the sleeves up her arms now that her body was fully warm from the proximity to the heat source, "I also hoped to find a Christmas tree tomorrow. I can't wait to decorate—"

"What?" He whipped his beady eyes towards her, "I am not to be involved in this, Granger. This is childish and unreasonable. You are to stay inside where you will be safe."

She frowned, "Professor, I'm not eleven years old anymore! I'm already seventeen! After next week, I will already be taking my apparition classes from the Ministry… I think I can handle going for a walk. Besides, you need to go find something for us to eat and also… you need to fix the oven."

"I do not respond well to orders from a little girl." He droned, "You will treat me with respect and you WILL follow my plans on tomorrow's… _festivities_."

She sighed, not willing to argue any further from the strict man who she knew would not budge on the matter. Severus looked up from the radio to see Hermione's eyes growing a little heavier and could hear protests from her growling stomach. Whatever it was that made him feel like he should help the girl out, he wasn't for sure but he decided to blame it on the fact that he was her teacher and responsible for her welfare, "Here… hopefully this will hold you over until tomorrow." He had pulled out a small bar of pure milk chocolate from his cloak that was lying next to him. He always carried the sweet treat around in case of an emergency—chocolate always helped in any recovery from Dark Magic.

Hermione was a little more than stunned, "I didn't know you had that! We should save this for Christmas!"

He set it in her hands, "Sometimes putting things off isn't necessarily what is best. Eat it, Granger, and you will not go hungry tonight."

She gently lifted the bar, which she had uncovered, to her lips and took a small bite, savoring the rich silk that was lining the inside of her mouth. She made a sound of delight and ate a bit more before deciding she should take it very slowly, just in case she became full and she could use it for the holiday meal she was planning. Severus watched this and sighed, "I do have more, so don't be so careful. It is yours."

"Thank you." She said rather meekly.

He caught sight of the girl just in time to see her effectively consume the dark bar within seconds of his reassurance, "You are welcome," the teacher whispered back, tearing his gaze from her, "You should be in bed, it is late. I will fix this for you," he motioned to the radio, "but only if you go to sleep. I don't need any more distractions as it is." He tried to cover up.

"But—" she tried to argue but was interrupted by the dark wizard,

"You are tired, I see it in your face, you can hardly keep your eyes open, and you only feel sympathy for my situation on the floor. Go to bed, Granger, and get to sleep." He ordered strictly but softly.

Hermione tried to fight it, "I'm not that tired…"

"Yes—you are."

"No."

"Yes."

"Okay maybe a little—" she started to admit but still held strong, "What about you?"

"What?"

"Aren't you tired?"

"No."

Hermione yawned and pulled her blanket from the teacher before piling half of the large sheet into a makeshift pillow that had more volume than the pillows on the bed and used the rest of the fabric to drape around her body as she curled into a little ball on her side, next to the Potions Master. He seemed a little shocked, "What are you doing?"

"You told me to go to bed. I am just following your orders." She mumbled, nuzzling in closer to the blanket.

He stared for awhile, "Why aren't you on the bed?"

"Because you're down here." She said with her eyes already closed.

"You are going to sleep on the floor?" he tried to reaffirm, not believing it himself.

"Yup." She whispered, already halfway gone, the sugar ebbed at her senses and the creamy sweet treat helped lull her into a state of comfort.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone I am so sorry that this took so long to update! I have had a ton of issues to deal with this week and have been extremely distracted. I hope you all know that I will not give up on this story and I hope you will be patient with me and all my life problems! You guys are the best!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE?**

Severus contemplated on whether or not he should finish the radio that night or continue tinkering with it in the morning. He had been working on it for some time now and was a little more than positive that he was making progress even though it was rather tedious. The wizard had been blessed with more logic than he knew what to do with and therefore, even if he hadn't been around muggles in his youth, was confident that he would have had enough sense to figure out the wires and inner workings of the small piece of junk that he had been working on for the last hour. He was not in any hurry nor was he feeling any pressure to finish it so he set it aside and peered over to the sleeping girl who was determined that he would not be alone on the floor. He really didn't care much for the girl but he did appreciate the effort she made for him, even though it was almost too nice for his liking. And yet, he realized she was still being rather horrible by keeping him exiled to the floor instead of taking cover from the cold and the hard wooden boards to be on the bed.

The girl was hardly being sheltered from the chilly winter air that still kept its hold over the little shack, battling with the warmth of the fire, creating a lukewarm experience for anyone close enough to the orange flames. Hermione shouldn't be with him on the ground and it was also inappropriate to be in such close proximity to each other when sleeping, even though the night before they had shared the same bed. He set the radio off to the side and despite his better judgment; he slightly crawled over to his student and easily scooped her up in his arms. She was heavier than she looked, he decided, grunting a little from the unexpected weight and a growl escaped his lips from his incorrect conclusion. The teacher needn't say more when golden butterscotch eyes whipped open to meet his black ones in a state of horror. They were both taken aback at the realizations of what was going on; Snape nervous from Hermione's conscious state to see him in action and Hermione shocked that she was locked tightly in the arms of her dreaded professor.

They stared at each other for an amount of time that neither could keep track of and both of them were in a state of shock as they just looked on. It was Snape who had decided that Hermione was becoming too heavy for him to play the no-blinking game while holding her and sighed, "I was just going to put you in bed…"

For a moment, Hermione seemed grateful, surprised and a bit overwhelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness of her teacher but then frowned, creating a crease between her brows, "I told you I would stay on the floor with you."

"It's hardly appropriate, Miss Granger-" he started but she wouldn't hear of it and struggled out of his arms dramatically with complaint from his aching limbs.

"Enough of this formal talk… I think _Hermione_ and _Severus_ would suit us better for our situation. You make me feel uncomfortable when you call me _Miss Granger_ all day long when we are not at Hogwarts." She wiped herself off as if the professor touching her had made her dirty.

Severus rolled his eyes, "You were the one who decided to reinforce your _silly formalities_."

She huffed, "I changed my mind," looking around her, she put her hands on her hips and sighed with an unreadable expression, "anyways… why wouldn't you just take the bed and leave me sleeping? It would have been all too easy."

Severus took a small step back, trying to create a bigger gap between their bodies with the rising tension, "I pride myself on strict mannerisms and leaving you to such a miserable post would be most impolite." He said through clenched teeth.

She eyed him warily, "And where do you suppose you will sleep tonight?"

"On the floor." He explained and abruptly turned and took his seat before briskly lying down and speaking no more to her.

Hermione shook her head, amused, "Oh no you don't! You don't get away with it that easily. Move over." She scrambled next to him on the ground, much to the disappointment and surprise of the teacher.

"Why are you so determined to stay close to me?" he spat out harshly, realizing that it wasn't just sympathy behind her all-too-kind actions, "Had it not occurred to you that I wanted to be left alone?"

The pillow that she had grabbed before sitting down next to him was now flying and pummeling his head from her good aim, "You're barking mad! I don't want to be anywhere near you!"

He hissed, "Then leave me alone… go to sleep in the nice comfy bed and stay away from me." He yanked his cloak that passed as his makeshift blanket from underneath where she was sitting.

Hermione put her hands on her waist in contempt, "I can't."

Snape threw the pillow into her lap rather nastily, "And why is that?"

She bit her lip, "Because I feel guilty!"

"I am not having this conversation." He held up a hand to shoo her away as if she was just a pest to him, "Leave me, Granger."

"Hermione." She mumbled under her breath.

"Spare me your problems." He groaned, "Good night."

"Mmm… night." Hermione grinned as she curled up again into her previous position on the floor and slipped into a deep slumber, closer to her teacher than even when they were in the bed together.

…

Severus awoke to find his body covered in the tattered blanket that Hermione had retrieved from the bed the night before and was also overwhelmed with the closeness of his student who was less than a foot from him. He quickly shoved off the musty fabric and stretched his legs, feeling a little more than cramped and stiff. Before he stood up, he cautiously made sure that he would not stir the sleeping girl and decided that he needed to magically chop down another tree with a cutting hex since the fire had burnt out and it was now freezing once more. Severus hadn't the faintest idea why he had been careful as to not wake up the Gryffindor but he tried to push it from his mind as he grabbed his thick winter cloak and headed out the door.

Walking out into the thick of the heavy snow that had fallen the previous night, his mind wandered relentlessly, over and over again, about Hermione's decision to stay close to him both nights they had spent together. Was it ridiculous to think that she wasn't disgusted with him? He was her teacher and knew it was far beyond even his own thinking to let his thoughts brush against the matter of her fancy. Severus resorted himself to believing her indifferent to him and decided that perhaps the girl was frightened without her protector at night considering the circumstances of him having to watch after her. It was highly unlikely that the plan would even be attempted or carried out to disrupt Potter's holiday vacation with Hermione and Ron hidden away so he assumed that he was being too carefree with his outings when his student hadn't the slightest knowledge of the improbable chances that something terrible would befall her.

He knew he shouldn't travel far but basking in his time alone without the obnoxious Gryffindor was all too appealing for him not to take advantage of the situation. Deciding to take a leisurely stroll through the fresh snow while taking care to keep track of time, Severus surveyed optimal trees whilst treading a new path.

…

Hermione awoke with a start when a tea kettle on the semi-functional stove, with the only working hot top, whistled wildly with a vengeance that served more as an alarm clock rather than a warning that tea had been prepared and was ready. She jumped up from her place on the floor and took the dingy pot off the heat and just stared at the tin vessel with a mixture of confusion and contempt. Did Professor Snape set up some tea for her as a kind gesture? The firewood had completely burnt through and she assumed it was a high probability that the teacher had gone to fetch more fuel for warmth. The real question was if he had made the tea for her to enjoy or to spite her by leaving it to her care to whistle viciously and wake her from her soft slumber. Hermione just shook her head, letting her golden brown waves bounce around, wondering if he had any plans to return to her sooner than he had the day before.

Not wanting to just wait around for him like she had so willingly and trustfully the last time, Hermione had hastily shed the makeshift dress shirt and climbed into her original clothing. Christmas would not pass over her roof—not if she could help it. Just because Professor Snape was protecting her for the holiday break did not mean that because of the circumstances, Christmas would not be an option. On the contrary, Hermione felt that it was more of a necessity that celebrating it with her teacher would brighten both of their solemn moods and help them forget about the horrible plot that got them into the thick of the mess they were in. She would not let the man ruin her break and so as she pulled on her shoes, she made a mental note to make sure that she was swift and take great care in her venture alone into the surrounding woods. She prayed that it would not be too difficult to find what she was looking for—her perfect tree—and swung open the door with vigor and a drive to make this Christmas a special one that she could share with the dark wizard that held her forthcoming teenage fancy. It was hardly anything more than innocent but she prided herself on the amount of imagination she lent herself that day as she walked through the trees, pretending for only a moment that the bat of the dungeons was not only JUST her teacher but something more.

Apparently it had not crossed Hermione's mind to bring a sled or any sort of device to help her in her quest for her tree. She had always spent Christmas without magic and she was determined, once more, to do the same. Something about picking out her own tree, decorating it by hand, and cooking fabulous meals all without a wand seemed to be magic in its own right and she didn't want to spoil the general splendor of the holiday. She knew she would be teased relentlessly or at least insulted by the dark teacher who was a Scrooge in his own right about her muggle traditions. Hermione had decided before she left that she would ONLY use a Diffindo charm to sever the trunk of her tree since there was nothing to cut with at the little shack besides a rusty old butter knife that she could transfigure into a saw or an axe… but that would be cheating, by her standards, by using even more magic. And since she wasn't necessarily allowed to use her wand outside of school she figured she would use this excuse when the persecutions from Severus Snape began.

"Oh it's perfect!" she sighed happily as she examined the tall tree that appeared to have a complete symmetrical lining of its branches and was much thicker than the trees surrounding it.

Hermione's face fell almost as soon as her smile had come. There was no way she could pull a tree that large back to the shack, let alone set it up by herself… without magic. Stepping away, attempting to separate her longing from the green mass, Hermione turned her gaze to the neighboring landscape to scout for her next perfect target that would be easier for her to transport. All the trees were massive and she was beginning to lose hope when she heard soft whispers, hushed by the snow starting to fall. Hermione picked up her pace to follow the voices when she heard a deep timbre resonate through the trees with a sarcastic lilt hinting on loathing.

"Come now, Bella… you are acting completely nonsensical. Albus Dumbledore has—"

Hermione hid behind a rather wide pine and let her eyes rest on Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange. She cupped a hand over her mouth, resisting the urge to scream out in anger against the dark witch who had, just last spring, murdered Sirius Black. Wouldn't Harry want her to do something about it? Hermione reminded herself how she was more sensible than that and the best thing to do was to listen in on the conversation. She could tell Snape hated the woman in front of him because he wore the expression that he always had plastered across his face when he was talking to Harry. The woman didn't look pleased at all and Hermione noticed the distrust in the crazed eyes of the Lestrange woman.

"If the Dark Lord knew…" Bellatrix hissed, her face inches away from the teacher.

"He does know…" Snape countered, leaning his weight on his other leg while holding his wand so tightly, Hermione was sure he would snap it in half, "in fact… this is all part of the Dark Lord's bidding and you would do well to hold your tongue while in his presence." He stepped even closer to Bellatrix and bent down slightly to whisper in her ear but he had not changed his volume, "If he knew that you had burst in, interrupting _his_ plans on Potter and his little friends… he would have no problem ridding himself of your presence."

"Speak for yourself Severus… I do not believe a word you so elegantly twist." Her eyes widened and a nasty grin with blackened teeth spread across her face, "I will be watching. Try not to make it too obvious where your loyalties reside. And by the way…" Bellatrix smirked, "How is itty bitty Draco coming along with his task? I look forward to the day the Unbreakable vow breaks you." She started laughing maniacally and danced away, twirling and skipping while singing before a loud pop rang out and she had disapparated.

Hermione's heart thumped uncontrollably as she held herself up against the old bark. The dark wizard growled under his breath as he stood quietly. Why wasn't he leaving? Did he know she was there? She needed to play this off like she had just stumbled upon him… but if he wasn't moving, how could she pretend like she wasn't eavesdropping the whole time? Wasn't Snape a member of the Order of Phoenix? Why would Snape have any relations with Lord Voldemort when Dumbledore trusted the Potions teacher so? An anger swelled inside but she couldn't harbor it for long when she saw Snape finally walking away in the opposite direction from the shack. What was he up to? If he was a spy for Voldemort then shouldn't she follow him and see what he was up to? Or should she distract him and try to bring him back to the shack? Was he part of the plot against Harry and that is why he took her away from the castle? Had he been plotting something the day before when he was gone for so long?

Thoughts were racing in her mind before she decided what action to take, "Professor Snape!" Hermione ran after the long strides in the snow.

The dark wizard quickly whipped around in a fury, "Granger! What are you doing out here?" he hissed.

"I have been looking for a Christmas tree for the shack—I mean—the cottage." She corrected herself, hoping she wasn't getting on the man's bad side for he already seemed to be in a foul mood.

He rolled his eyes but the terrible expression of hate was still evident on his features and in his dark eyes, "Go back. Now."

She tilted her head, trying to appear as though she didn't know why he was so peeved, "I actually need your help… I can't carry a tree back to the—"

"Enough! You are supposed to be inside the house." He snapped, stomping up to her and grabbing her collar like she had seen him do several times to Harry and Ron.

"I just wanted a tree!" she whined softly, feeling herself being tugged by the teacher.

His hair whipped in the quick gait he was making, "I will just have to escort you back if you can't listen to me, Granger."

She wriggled out of his hold, "My name is Hermione, remember? And I can walk by myself, thank you very much!"

His dark eyes lifted the austere cover that previously lined his gaze, "Please go back," he took a small breath and stared into her stubborn caramel orbs, "Hermione."

Hermione sniffed from the cold and shivered slightly before looking back up at her teacher, "What have you been doing?"

She saw a flash of the anger that pervaded his expression before and she jumped at the chance to reverse it into submission again, "Oh I mean… erm… I'm just going to go."

Snape's raised eyebrow followed her form as she turned and trekked away from him. He didn't say anything at her parting but was alerted at her small voice calling back to him, "Would you like some lunch when you… come back?"

Feeling guilty at her statement since he had failed to show up on time the day before, he nodded, "I will be back in about an hour. You have my word."

A small smile graced her lips before she watched her teacher whirl around and walk away. Instantly, pure fear and grief swept across her body and she had to find a tree for support. She slunk down to the ground and sighed. Why was she offering to take care of the man that was going to hand her over to Voldemort? Was that why there was no food? He wouldn't be keeping her long? She shook her head vigorously, if he wanted to play with her, then she would play with him. She would return to the shack—with a tree… no matter how pathetic—and make the man something to eat and play the part of the perfect little Gryffindor. But she would have to concoct a plan of her own and fight back before Snape knew what was coming.

…

Hermione crumpled in a wretched heap, staring at the plant that was no bigger than Dobby the house elf, and it was so bare that it appeared as if she had plucked off a dead branch and stood it up on its end and dubbed it… her Christmas tree. Even if she did have more important matters to mull over, Christmas would not go unnoticed by Hermione! She had concocted something of the consistency of a soup with another can of vegetables and a few pieces of what looked like processed meat that she would find in a muggle grocery market. It looked disgusting but it smelled halfway decent which she hoped would go over well with her teacher. She didn't want the man in a nasty disposition for the rest of the day and she knew if he was, it would distract her from her primary goal of survival. Snape had set her up and she would not let him be the one to finish her off.

After fashioning only one homemade, parchment snowflake that Ginny had taught to her, Hermione watched as the homely tree leaned to the point of toppling over from the weight. She had attempted to place the paper as a tree topper of sorts but soon realized that it would have to be made into an ornament—the only ornament that the tree could carry. A dark figured emerged, levitating a vast amount of firewood that would supply them for at least two days if not longer. Hermione took this as a sign that she would still be around for longer than she had previously anticipated. Professor Snape watched his student, who was curled up in a little ball on the edge of the bed, stare at a dilapidated plant with a hideous ripped piece of parchment that bore little hand-ripped holes. Was it supposed to be a snowflake? Was the thing she was staring at supposed to be her _perfect_ tree for the pretentious holiday?

Severus set the wood beside the small hearth, whisked off his cloak and continued to watch the girl who had barely noticed his entrance. Was she upset with him? No… she was too infatuated with the bended twigs in front of her. Hermione's head was rested on her knees that were pulled up tight against her chest while her arms held to her legs tightly. Her mouth was in a deep frown and he could see some pine needles resting in her curly hair. It was an awkward moment for him but he decided to overcome it,

"Dare I even ask?" he motioned to the sad excuse for a living plant.

Hermione shook her head, "No."

Why did his conscience speak to him at such an inconvenient time? The girl wanted a Christmas tree which he had objected to as for some reason she didn't use magic in her endeavor to acquire one against his will… and he still felt obligated to help her. Her cloak was sitting in front of the hearth, apparently soaked in her struggle for a tree and he sighed, realizing that what he was about to do was even beyond his comprehension and understanding. Severus snatched up his own heavy winter robe once more but placed it around Hermione's shoulders before fastening it to her. Hermione was shocked at the black fabric that was draped over her but she did not shrug it off like she should have… she was wearing Severus Snape's infamous cloak that he had willingly laid upon her! It was an epic moment indeed and one that Hermione had decided that she didn't want to end too fast. Where was the horrible Slytherin teacher? He was so kind to her… did he pity her fate? Was that why he was showing an ounce of charity because he was going to send her to the dogs?

"Come." He commanded her strictly as he headed towards the door.

Hermione just gawked at him, "Erm… where are we going?" was he planning to hand her over to Voldemort at that very moment and had brought back the firewood for himself to enjoy when he returned? Was he going to eat her makeshift stew while she was being tortured and killed? Hermione took back what she had previously thought… the Slytherin teacher had returned in full force and was about to stab her and even Dumbledore in the back by betraying them.

"Granger." He voiced treacherously, beckoning her to follow his lead and to not ask questions.

He really was going to hand her over. She knew it. Why had she spent so much time on her stupid tree when she should have been planning her escape? The problem was that she had no idea where she was, had no floo powder, didn't know how to apparate yet, and would surely get expelled for using magic outside of Hogwarts at such a dark time in the Wizarding world. She stood up but remained where she was, "Will we be returning?" she asked in hopes of seeing any guilt streaking across his face at her question.

Snape seemed alarmed but not guilty, "Why wouldn't we?" he shot back at her.

Hermione decided that although he could hide his expressions, the question he gave her in answer to her own inquiry had been sufficient enough to confirm her hidden suspicions. Snape couldn't help but shake his head in the suddenly very distrustful and wary girl… why was she being so reluctant to go with him? He shouldn't have to explain what his plans were… he believed it to be very obvious and yet Hermione seemed to not be catching on in the least.

"Granger, we are wasting time, let's go now before I change my mind." He mumbled, opening the door and motioning for her to pass through first.

_Before he changes his mind?_ Hermione thought as she finally stepped forward and out into the bitter cold that did not seem so threatening with the warm cloak wrapped around her. Was he having second thoughts about taking her to the Death Eaters and Voldemort? She tried to shake her thoughts, attempting to look normal but her untrusting glances at Snape were probably all he needed to know that she had found him out.

"What about you? Won't you be cold?" she asked about the cloak that was wrapped around her and not her teacher.

He shook his head, "This won't take long, I will be fine."

Hermione watched how her small feet sunk into the snow, making prints from her previous treading. She listened to the snow falling around her and Snape's crunching noise as he worked his way in front, through the white frost. Was this practically her death march? Although she didn't want to think of such things, different subjects around her raced into her senses... the way the snow felt as she walked through it, the bitter cold against her skin, the heavy cloak, the light scent of the Potions Master from the material, her runny nose, and the sound of the little flakes resting on the untouched blankets of ice.

Before she knew what was happening, Hermione had crashed into the back of an uncloaked Professor Snape and fell backwards into the snow. Severus watched her fall and rolled his eyes as he picked her up jerkily and let her settle down on her feet,

"Now, Granger…" he started, annoyed but was interrupted.

"My name is Hermione." She mumbled bitterly, waiting for the end to come… waiting for the Death Eaters to pop out of their hiding places to attack her.

He rolled his eyes and dramatically let her name roll off his tongue, "_Hermione_… which one do you want?" he motioned around them.

Hermione didn't quite catch what he was leading on to, "What?"

Severus was becoming agitated, "If we are going to be stuck together for twelve more days, I will NOT be looking at that wretched dead weed any longer than I have to."

Guilt flushed the color from her face… was Snape leading her out from the shack to help her get a proper tree? She was stunned. How could she speak when she was previously preparing for her death to find out that the Bat of the Dungeons was attempting to be civil over the holidays?

"I'm waiting…. Hurry up before I decide how absurd and ridiculous this is and go back." He snapped.

Hermione found her voice, "Oh erm…" she looked around and saw her perfect tree that she had spotted before coming upon Bellatrix Lestrange and her teacher arguing, "Follow me." She told him as she waved him over.

Without question, the dark wizard obeyed and Hermione wondered if now was her chance to lead him into a trap. Even if he was attempting to be kind, wasn't he still plotting against her with the Death Eaters? Hermione thought better of it as she neared closer to the magnificent Fir tree and was caught up in the beauty and symmetry of it, "This one." She breathed.

Severus joined her side, "You have got to be joking."

Hermione turned to him, "You said I could choose and I have. I want _this one._" She pointed to it like a spoiled child would do to its parent.

He rolled his eyes and faced her, "You realize that this is a good foot and a half taller than the ceiling? Besides it is too wide!"

She knew he was right… the tree was fit to belong in the Hogwarts castle, not a shack. But she shrugged it off, "I think it's perfect."

"Granger—"

"Hermione."

"Whatever! Unless we shrink this, we can't even possibly fit it through the door, you mindless girl!"

She frowned, "No magic! Everything is so much more personal and meaningful when you do it by hand."

He raised an eyebrow and spat out, "What?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys sorry this is so short but I just wanted to get this up and out! I have been crazy busy with work so my updating has been a sad excuse compared to how loyal I was with Lessons in Love. However, I hope this doesn't deter you all, if anything, I will always update on the weekends! And I would love to hear your feedback! This is just a lighthearted story supposed to entertain you until I can get enough stamina up to write a ridiculously complicated and long story again. I really want to hear from you all so please, if you would be so kind, leave a review! **

**Thanks again and please review! **

Severus Snape was beyond livid as he used a wordless spell, without Hermione's knowledge, to at least prop the enormous tree up in the corner that took over more than one quarter of the room they were lodging in. She wouldn't let him shrink it so he had spent almost an hour just trying to fit the massive plant through the door way and had finally convinced Hermione that using magic to widen the threshold was not the same as using magic to contract the tree. He stepped back only a foot or two, for that was all the space he had, to examine his work. The tree was definitely too tall for the ceiling and had quite a large portion of it smashed against the paint peeled top. Hermione loved it anyways. It was all very magical for her in an odd muggle sort of fashion. He looked down to see sandy brown locks bouncing around as she moved about the room, serving him lunch that was now taking the place of his dinner.

"Oh I can't wait to start decorating." Hermione piped up after almost tossing a chipped porcelain bowl filled with the less than questionable soup-like concoction at Severus. She was much too distracted by the wonderful tree that had basically been smashed into the corner, however, this did nothing to sway her mood for she saw no flaws in the large thing.

"If you intend to create more of those hideous things you call snowflakes, you won't be decorating it." He grumbled as he found his only utensil to use was a fork. Severus realized that it served him much better to simply sip the broth from the small bowl rather than to eat the old chunks of vegetables and something that rather resembled meat.

Hermione turned to him with her hands on her hips, "Why do you have to spoil everything? I made you lunch and have been nothing but pleasant to you this whole time and you can't seem to ever be pleasant to me!"

Severus almost choked on the warm liquid, "I beg your pardon? I believe I have lent you my clothes, I have been fixing that God awful muggle radio, I have let you sleep in the bed, I drug this…_ thing_" he pointed to the tree, "all the way back here _without _magic, mind you, _AND_ I have been protecting you since we arrived here! Don't tell me I haven't been pleasant when everything I have done so far has been for you."

She knew he was right except the part about protecting her—he was going to hand her over to Voldemort, wasn't he? Hermione sniffed, "What about you getting drunk? Hmm? Was that for me? Or leaving me alone all day, yesterday, while I scrubbed your clothes and made you something to eat?"

Shaking his head, he stood from his seat on the edge of the tattered mattress and made his way over to the old pot that held the soup creation Hermione had thrown together; he was starving and the food actually tasted somewhat decent, "Move." He snapped as Hermione stood in front of the soup, looking as frustrated as ever.

"Why don't you say the magic word, _Professor_?" she deliberately made sure he couldn't reach the food.

He growled, wanting to shove her out of the way but resisted, "Don't play with me, Granger, I'm warning you."

She raised an eyebrow, "You wouldn't touch a student," She reminded him before smirking, "I thought you were supposed to be protecting me."

Severus had had enough and very easily was able to nudge her to the side while mumbling under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear, "More like babysitting you."

"What did you just say?" Hermione was laughing, clearly humored by his dark mood.

The teacher turned back to his student once his bowl was filled to the brim, shocked at her reaction to his comment that was meant to insult her, "I believe I do not have to repeat myself."

She chuckled again, "You know… I don't think that that is the right word," she sat down next to him, brushing against his arm unintentionally, "Now if you were stuck with Harry or Ron, I would understand the term—even I have had to watch them like they were little kids."

"Then what would you call this? If I am not babysitting you, then what am I doing?" he took a sip from the bowl, the fork now abandoned completely.

Hermione cracked a smile, "Supervising."

This brought a small smirk to Severus' face, something that he hadn't really worn much lately, "Perhaps."

"Now…" Hermione jumped up from her spot, once again enraptured by the stuffed tree in the corner, "If we won't be decorating with snowflakes… and we have no real ornaments, then what should we do?" she turned to Severus for his opinion.

After swallowing another large gulp, he sighed and licked his thin lips, "I believe the term _we_ indicates that the two of us will be involved in the adornment of that tree and I must correct you now before you become too disappointed."

Hermione's face already fell but she let him continue speaking, "_You_, Miss Gra- I mean… _Hermione_, will be facing that unbearable task alone, I daresay. I, myself, cannot partake in such frivolities."

She huffed and walked over to him, angry again, "And why can't _Severus Snape_ stoop to the level of his student and lend a hand to decorate the tree? Is it too much to ask? If you do not want snowflakes, then I suggest you prepare yourself to assist!"

Before he knew what was happening, Hermione had taken the bowl out of his freezing hands and set it on the table in a hurry. She grabbed one hand and pulled him up from his sitting position, "Are you going to help me or not? I can't reach the top of the tree without you."

Severus rolled his eyes, "I have already been too kind… you expect too much out of me, Granger."

"Please?" She practically begged him with a pout in her lip.

He should have said no for he had not the slightest desire to celebrate the holiday with the girl, let alone decorate a ridiculous tree… but then again… he really had nothing better to occupy his time with. Even if he decided not to help, what would he do? Sit and watch? Severus sighed, shook his head, and threw his hands up in the air in an act of defeat so Hermione would stop pestering him, "Fine."

Hermione looked far too pleased at this but Severus said nothing as she pulled out the large stack of old parchment that would serve as their only supply for their decorations. She stared at it for awhile, joining her teacher's side as the yellowing pile of paper dismally lay still, "What do you suppose we could do with this? My parents always had glass ornaments to hang… I never had to make any by hand."

Without another word, Severus stepped forward and grabbed a sheet of parchment, hoping he could reproduce the little figures he was so adept at making when he was bored as a student years ago. Hermione heard a ripping noise and quickly looked around the Potions Master's hunched shoulders to see his long fingers make haste with folding creases into the paper. She decided it was better not to say anything and just watch the man work. In a matter of seconds, he had successfully produced a paper crane which he blew out of his hands and it flew to rest on a branch of the tree. Hermione was entranced with the little figure and plucked it from its resting spot to examine it further.

"Can you make more of these? They are beautiful." She breathed, delicately turning the folded parchment in her hands.

"I suppose so…" he weighed the matter and decided on his next move, "Perhaps I might be the one to make them since your artistic abilities with paper seem to be… more or less _lacking_ when judging by your recent snowflake disaster."

Hermione smiled brightly, excusing his insult about her skills with parchment, "Alright! But no magic! Everything is more enjoyable by hand at Christmas time."

The amount of little folded birds that his student had demanded of him was more than ridiculous… it was unfathomable. Severus' fingers were raw and he had quite a few paper cuts which he tried to ignore and would eventually heal later if he ever got the chance for a break. It was nearly dark when he had finally put his foot down and came to a halt in the procession line of paper folding to be placed into the tree. He rubbed his abused fingers while Hermione placed at least the hundredth crane onto another branch when she turned to him. There were still a good amount of little figures on the table Severus had been sitting at and he was about to comment until Hermione took his chance.

"I need your help placing the birds near the top; I couldn't reach even if I were on a chair." She breathed, still enraptured by some unknown magic that Severus had yet to be let in on.

"Use your wand…" he snarled, massaging the back of his right hand which had incidentally been subject to quite a bit of paper cuts.

"Please?" Hermione walked towards him, arms folded behind her back, trying to appear innocent.

This look she wore had never worked on Severus… not in school and surely not at that moment. He shook his head, "Granger… you are being absolutely—"

Hermione shoved a bird into his hand and pointed to the spot she desired it to go, obviously not hearing a word that her teacher had started to say, "Right there… that's the perfect branch."

He was quite astounded but realizing that it was better to appease the girl than to waste time and energy arguing, Severus assented and placed the birds in every blank branch that Hermione saw fit to decorate. It wasn't long before he heard a gasp of horror come from the curly haired girl next to him and he reluctantly looked down to find her face matching the intake of breath that had escaped her lips.

"What?" he snapped, a little rougher than he meant but all the same, he wasn't happy in his position.

"We forgot the most important part!" she scrambled over to the stack of paper and tried to replicate what she had seen her teacher do but was failing miserably.

Annoyed beyond measure, Severus came around to her side, "What now?"

She mumbled something inaudible through her paper tearing and he had to ask again in an extremely perturbed voice what was going on. Hermione looked up at the dark wizard with a hesitant but hopeful gaze, "The tree topper… you know… like the star or an angel or something… we forgot it."

He understood now and rolled his eyes at the dramatic scene she had made over such a silly fixation, "Excuse me for not being more sympathetic."

Hermione whipped around and produced another dreadful, limp snowflake and offered it to her teacher, "Here."

"I can't reach the very top, besides… almost a foot of it is smashed against the ceiling." He explained to her, waving the paper away.

She examined the ripped paper and sighed, stepping towards the teacher who had taken a seat on the edge of the bed, "Can you lift me up and we can just place it as close as we can to the top?"

Severus was completely shocked at her question. The part about putting the horrendous parchment on the tree didn't bother him near as much as Hermione asking him to pick her up. Yes, he had carried her to bed, or at least tried to, the night before but she was asleep for the most part. To consciously lift the girl up was something altogether different… and almost violating. Touching a student when both are aware of it is something he never thought he could do unless it was in punishment like Potter and Weasley received often. He looked her up and down and could see Hermione blushing fiery red and he figured her thoughts must have lingered to his same ones. Hermione fidgeted slightly,

"Perhaps if you can just cup your hands like a step for me, that could do the trick." She offered, embarrassed.

"Or you can use magic like a regular witch would do." He reminded her indignantly, rolling his eyes.

Hermione sighed softly, "I am not supposed to do magic outside of school except for emergencies… and I have already used my wand a few times already, I can't risk it."

"Well you are treating this as if it is an emergency. But if you insist, I am fully able to use magic, let me do it, Granger." He flicked his wand and the ugly snowflake flew perfectly to the topmost branch that wasn't smashed.

"No! Take it down, take it down!" Hermione bit her lip, upset.

Severus was frustrated beyond measure, "Finite!" he pointed his wand at the snowflake and it pathetically fell, rippling while floating down.

Hermione caught it before it hit the floor as if it were something precious to her. She looked back to the dark wizard and scowled, "Hoist me up… PLEASE."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Don't use that tone with me."

She sighed in irritation and put on her most sarcastic voice she could manage, dramatizing and emphasizing her words, "Will you please help me put this at the top of the tree, _Professor Snape_?"

Severus smirked in gratification, "Well when you put it that way, Miss Granger, it sounds almost appealing, but my answer is still no."

"Please?" She begged him, "Christmas means so much more when you actually take the time to enjoy it rather than going the easy route and fixing it up in a snap with magic. Where is the joy and wonderful memories spent in that? I will always remember decorating the tree with you! Why not finish it the way we started? Please… Severus?" she added, hoping beyond hope that maybe using his first name might spark something in him.

It did. Snape growled under his breath and stood up, "Alright, fine, you silly girl! Anything to make you stop talking!"

Hermione blushed slightly at his comment but went even more red when her teacher grabbed her right hand and placed it on his shoulder before lacing his fingers together to make a makeshift step for her to place her foot in, "Use this arm for support—" he instructed her, motioning to the hand on his shoulder, "And let me know if you feel like you are going to fall…"

She placed her socked foot into his hands and slightly bended her legs before trying stand up straight to reach the tree with her little snowflake. Snape was giving her grunted instructions from her weight, trying to convince her to go to her full height and that he wouldn't drop her, "Granger, straighten your legs—"

He teetered under her unbalanced weight with Hermione clutching tight to him, "If you don't let go of my shoulder, we will be here all day—"

"Granger get a hold of yourself—"

"OUCH! That's my hair, you-" Hermione had tried to lift off from her hand on his shoulder but quickly squeezed it tight again, catching some of his black tresses and pulling on them.

She glanced down at her angry teacher, "If you would stop YELLING at me, then maybe I could concentrate on putting this—"

"Hurry up, you're heavy!"

"Rubbish, I weigh less than half the girls in my year!"

"Oh do shut up!"

"No you just told me I was fat! And you are supposed to be a teacher! Some dignity you have—"

"Granger!"

"I'm not done yet—"

"Granger, get a bloody move on—" he groaned, trying to keep her steady with just her one foot.

"Honestly… you're just barking mad—"

Snape gave a loud hiss, "Put the damn snowflake on the tree or I will drop you… RIGHT… NOW."

Hermione glared at him, "The nerve—"

"You better be glad we aren't back at the school…" he murmured but then cocked his head, hearing something from outside. It was a woman's voice.

"Why? Are you threatening detention?" Hermione grumbled until she noticed that her teacher's attention was on something else, "What is it?"

Snape didn't answer but strained his ears again before going extremely pale. The voice of Bellatrix Lestrange carried into the small shack from outside, singing very out of key something that she had been repeating. Other voices were heard too and Hermione suspected other Death Eaters were with her. Was that the end of her? Had she been too caught up once more in decorating the tree to remember that Snape was going to give her to Voldemort or let the Death Eaters take care of her? Didn't he let on that he would be keeping her with him longer than she expected?

"SNAPE! SNAPE! We burned down the Burrow! SNAPE… SNAPE… SNAPE!" Bellatrix cried out in a sing-song voice.

Hermione whirled around in shock and anger, "Oh NO! Harry! Ron! NO!" She wailed and struggled and at that same moment, Severus finally lost his grip on her and she fell… hard… on top of him. He could not waste time examining the awkward moment and how inappropriate it was… he had to get Hermione to be silent.

"Hush!" he begged her but she had turned her wand out of her pocket and was point it to his heart.

"You… YOU… what did YOU do?" she stabbed her wand harder into his chest.

Severus grunted from the harsh poke, "They will hear you! Be quiet!"

Hermione pulled back from him but before either of them knew what was happening, Severus found himself rolling on top of her, pinning her arms above her head and throwing her wand across the room. Her chest heaved in adrenaline and anger against her teacher's and she snarled in her vulnerable position, "You traitor! Dumbledore trusted you! The Weasley's trusted you! I even… trusted you!" she snapped in disgust.

Hermione didn't care if Bellatrix found her now, all she wanted was for Snape to die. Just seconds before, although he was rather argumentative and stubborn, Hermione had been growing fond of her Potions Master and now her feelings were so hateful and dangerous that if looks could kill, the wizard would have been dead before he knew what had hit him.

"Hermione… please stop this!" he whispered, giving nervous glances towards the door. They could not be found or they would be in much more danger than he cared to think about.

She spat on him nastily, "Traitor! TRAITOR!" she howled.

"STOP!" he pleaded with her, still glancing towards the entrance but he took swift action and covered her mouth with her hand. Hermione began to struggle, trying to cry out even though muffled and she flailed her limbs about like a mad person.

When he decided that using one of his hands to stifle her declarations was of no use as it limited his strength on his hold on her arms above her head, he replaced them back where they previously pinned her. He realized his body was completely on top of her own now, trying to stop her wild antics so that they would not be caught. Severus was just mere inches away from her face and he could feel her hot breath on his skin wheezing through her accusations,

"Traitor! You filthy-"

What happened next could not be explained… and, at least to Severus, was something he never expected to have done in his lifetime…

He kissed Hermione Granger.

Hermione instantly froze at the contact and was stunned. Snape… Severus Snape was pinning her to the floor, on top of her, with his thin lips smashed against her own. Hermione had not a clue where it had come from but in that moment she couldn't think of much else. The Burrow slipped her mind as did the welfare of her two best friends while his mouth covered her own. Severus finally broke apart from her and stared into her golden eyes with his dark ones. Neither of them could say anything, let alone move. She was suddenly very aware of the wizard's body atop her own and also realized that somehow amidst the madness of everything, she had not been the one to break away. She didn't dare… her teacher was kissing her but she, for some reason, didn't want it to stop—until she remembered…

"How dare you!" she whispered while fidgeting her arms that were still tightly pinned.

Severus put a finger against his lips to silence her and it worked, "We can't be caught!"

"Caught?" she said in disbelief, "What… you want to kiss me again before you hand me over? You filthy monster!" Hermione realized that although she was at least twenty years his junior, she wouldn't have minded another meeting of their lips even if it meant meeting the Death Eaters. He was mesmerizing now.

He looked at her as if she were a raving lunatic but couldn't help notice the glint in her eye that told him she was begging for a little more. She was a hormonal teenager after all and he guessed she wouldn't deny a kiss when it came so willingly her way and he couldn't blame her. Hermione wasn't really sought after when she only spent her time with Weasley and Potter… two of the most idiotic and foolhardy students he had ever had the displeasure to teach. Severus knew the only reason he kissed her was to shut her up. He had no feelings for her other than a teacher student relationship and she was under his watch and he had a duty to protect her. Drastic measures needed to be taken to stop the girl from raving even more and getting them caught.

The door flew open with a bang and Bellatrix and her cronies came waltzing in, "Severus…" she hummed to herself, "Where are you? I know you are in here with that girl…"

Hermione watched as the insane witch who had broken out of Azkaban the year before, walk towards them, her gaze never falling to the floor to see them just lying there. She looked to her teacher and gave him a worried look but also a disbelieving one at that. Severus once again put his finger to his lips to make sure she stayed quiet.

"Are you…" she bent down on her hands and knees in front of Hermione, staring blankly… almost right through her, "HERE?" she grabbed the bed skirt and yanked it up, hoping to find them under the old mattress even though for some odd reason, she couldn't tell that they were right in front of her very eyes. Why couldn't Bellatrix see them? Had Snape done something when she wasn't paying attention?

"Severus isn't 'ere, Lestrange. Let us leave this place be… it's jus' a lil' worn down shack—" a tall and very thick-looking Death Eater complained.

"Burn it." Bellatrix muttered, annoyed.

"What?" Another voice came, "What if he comes back… with the girl? We should wait for them… or spy on them. Tell the Dark Lord that Severus has been betraying us all along."

A smaller wizard piped up, "No, he is the Dark Lord's most trusted servant. If we talk ill of Severus, Nagini will have our heads."

"I know he is hiding the girl here!" Bellatrix growled but walked out into the snow again, "We will wait for Severus to _come home_. Won't he be surprised to see us tonight for dinner?"

The men laughed as they filed out of the house once more before the door finally shut and Hermione and Severus were once again alone, just staring at each other.

**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! I am so sorry for not updating sooner! Oh goodness I am terrible this time but I must admit that work has been literally killing me so that is my excuse for this chapter. Thanks so much for all of you being so patient with me! I do hope you enjoy it! I had loads of fun writing it and have already started on the next chapter! Thanks again for hanging in there…**

**PLEASE REVIEW! (need some more inspiration… lol please?)**

They didn't move when Bellatrix had left. On the contrary, they had almost sought after each other in comfort… well at least Hermione had. Severus Snape… her Potions Master now turned Defense against the Dark Arts teacher who was officially, by her standards, working for Lord Voldemort… kissed her amidst the craze of other Death Eaters. What had happened? It had all been so fast… so confusing! Hermione couldn't deny to herself that the kiss wasn't completely unpleasant and the wizard didn't smell that awful either, in fact, his scent was more stimulating and attractive than anything. When Bellatrix had entered the little shack, Snape had freed Hermione's arms which were now consequently grasping his coat. She couldn't bring herself to let go as her eyes traced over her teacher's serious face. What was going on? Was he completing a mission for the Dark Lord but was intercepted by Bellatrix Lestrange who seemed to be extremely jealous of him by some measure or another?

Severus jumped up rather quickly and, if Hermione was interpreting correctly, she could see that he appeared nervous. Why did he kiss her? She could still feel his unshaven whiskers across her sensitive skin from when he had pressed his lips to her own. What was the feeling that was coursing through her? Was it giddiness? Embarrassment? Excitement? All she knew was that she still had loads of adrenaline pumping through her system and she wasn't ready for it to die down just yet even though her teacher had other plans, it seemed. Hermione sat up, a bit frazzled, and helped herself to her feet, knowing that Snape would be the last one, especially at that moment, to assist her in standing.

"Care to explain?" Hermione instantly turned cold on him.

Severus looked over to her, breaking his gaze from the fire, "There is nothing to clarify."

"Excuse me? What were _they_ doing here?" She filled the gap between them and scowled, "Take me back to Hogwarts. Now."

He swallowed hard and narrowed his eyes at her demands, "Isn't it obvious, Granger?" he hissed before adding in a contemptuous voice, "And if you _ever_ speak to me like that again… I will see to it…"

"What? That I'm expelled? You always have the same threat! When will you come out with the truth?" Hermione huffed, blowing a curl out of her heated face.

Snape stepped even closer to her and bent down so that their faces were mere inches apart. Hermione's heart raced from the proximity of her teacher… was he going to kiss her again? Could she deny the dark wizard who had held such a secret fantasy in her school days? He licked his lips but it was more threatening than she had ever anticipated, "I promise I will make your life a living hell… so much so as to rival my own."

Hermione had never heard such a menacing character to his normally smooth and calm voice. He was miserable then? The man had threatened to make her life as dreadful as his. Was it really that bad? Was he just being rude about having to spend two weeks of his existence with her? Hermione frowned and backed away slightly, "Why don't you just turn me over to Lord Voldemort? Stop making me wait this out, trying to convince me to believe that you are protecting me!"

Severus straightened, "What are you on about?"

"I saw and heard you talking to that foul woman," she pointed to the door, indicating to Bellatrix, "in the forest when I was looking for a tree! You are planning on giving me over to You-Know-Who!"

He tilted his head, thoughtfully, suddenly realizing something. This expression of his made Hermione furious when she saw a small smirk appear on his face. He sighed, "You caught me, Granger."

She inhaled sharply, hoping that Snape would try to deny it, "Well then get on with it! Take me now so I don't have to waste any more of my life with you."

Circling around her with his hands behind his back, he let his low drawl come out evenly, "No… I don't think I will. Not on your terms, anyways. I have my own agenda, Granger."

Hermione whipped around to him, "If Dumbledore knew—"

He rolled his eyes, "Albus Dumbledore probably suspected something of this sort to happen but seeing as he never stopped me from removing you from the castle, he obviously didn't take too much of it to heart. Besides, you insufferable girl, it was his own plan that I followed that got you here in the first place."

"You unimaginable bastard." She sighed, breathlessly, searching his eyes for something although she had not the slightest inclination of what she was actually looking for.

He stared at her, an icy expression plastered over his exterior from her comment, "Take care… and watch… your… _tongue._"

Hermione was exasperated, "You were my teacher! And I trusted you! I have every right to speak my mind!"

"Granger—" he started in a warning tone.

"NO!" she raised her voice which was something that she only did on rare occasions, "Why did you kiss me? Why didn't the Death Eaters see us lying on the floor in front of them? Why won't you just hand me over now? I'd rather be with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named than with _you!_"

Severus eyed her for some time before softly retorting, "You stupid, stupid girl. You have not a clue."

Hermione kept quiet, hoping that her teacher would say something but he did not. She spoke up, "About what? Wanting to make a fool out of me? Wanting me to fall for you, my teacher, before you lead me to my fate?"

He raised an eyebrow at her pained reply and was shocked to hear her words. She thought he kissed her to seduce her? He was a little more than lost at the comments but took no liberty in letting his feelings show, "Believe what you will Granger, but I for one couldn't stomach the thought of… what did you call it… you _falling_ for me? You are sixteen years old." He spat out, disgusted at her accusation.

"Seventeen." She corrected coldly.

"Whatever." He waved away, "The only reason I kissed you was to shut you up. End of story."

Hermione stopped herself before saying something irrational, "Why couldn't they see us? The Death Eaters?"

Severus turned around and wordlessly sent a left over crane from the table levitating into the air just by lifting his hand… no wand involved, "I believe you are familiar with the Fidelius Charm, Granger?" he hummed in his teacher-like voice.

Hermione tilted her head but answered as if she were in class, "Yes… it's a complex and powerful charm…" she gulped and blinked slowly before letting her eyes fall back onto her teacher,  
>"The Fidelius charm takes a specific piece of information and implants it into another person's soul. The one whose soul houses the secret is known as the Secret-Keeper."<p>

"Correct as always," he mumbled under his breath but made sure it was loud enough for her to hear his sarcasm, "Our location within this _shack_ as you have so elegantly dubbed it, will always remain a secret. As long as the Secret-Keeper does not tell of us, Bellatrix Lestrange can look as hard as she pleases in here and will never be able to find our hiding place. However, the part about not making any noise has obviously slipped your mind… Bellatrix may not be able to see you, but she is more than capable of hearing you."

Hermione crossed her arms indignantly, "So why are you hiding me from them if you plan to dump me on the Dark Lord's doorstep?"

He smirked, "Oh clever, aren't we? Always have to assume the worst. Well, I will leave you to your own thoughts… meanwhile, I will excuse myself to take a much needed bath." He quickly exited the room that was overtaken by the massive tree and shut himself as much as he could considering the door was broken and would only sit on the frame but would not close, in the bathroom.

Hermione's mind was, as always, running through every possible outcome of the situation and the probability of each end was more unlikely than the next but if there was one thing she had learned over the years with her friends, it was to never rule out the impossible. She hopped onto the lumpy bed on her stomach and buried her head in her arms, attempting to block out the noise of the running water. What would Ron say if he knew that Severus Snape had kissed her? Would he be jealous or would he be so infatuated with Lavender Brown that it wouldn't bother him at all?

_Ron…_ she sighed to herself… she loved that boy more every day even though his latest fling was tearing her apart. Not only was Ron dating a girl in Gryffindor but she also happened to sleep in the same dormitory as Hermione and, even worse, in the bed next to her own. Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart by that overly cheerful girl who squealed at anything and everything. Hermione supposed that her mixed feelings and wounded love had been the reason for not being completely repulsed when Snape had kissed her. Yes… that had to be it. She shook herself, why was her mind going back to her professor whenever she thought of Ron? Perhaps because Snape was something so completely dangerous and daring and ABSOLUTELY off limits that it was exciting to Hermione to feel his thin lips touch her own? It was very much unexpected, of course, but why could she not shake off the desire to feel him again?

Hermione sniffed a little from her runny nose on account of the cold room and stood up to get a glass of water from the spout at the sink. When she had found a suitable glass, she flipped up the handle and let the less than satisfactory liquid fill her cup. A few seconds after she had turned the tap on, as if in a delayed reaction, Hermione heard an excruciating howl followed with a menagerie of curses and the shower in the bathroom was turned off. Severus Snape kicked the door open and Hermione saw the proper teacher in a whole new light. His dress shirt was haphazardly thrown on his wet skin that was soaking through the material with only one button being fastened in the wrong place, making his shirt tails uneven. His pants were on and properly worn but seeing the fierce teacher in such a state was almost hysterical. Hermione never thought she would see the day where Snape had no shiny shoes on—it was almost weird to see him so disheveled and, dare she even think it, quite awkward.

"You insolent little—" he trailed off, running a hand through his stringy wet hair that was now drying in different places. He was exasperated, "Do you have any idea what you just did by getting a glass of water?"

"Oh erm… sorry," Hermione now understood his dilemma and smiled broadly at the thought of his steaming hot shower going ice cold, "I guess I do now."

He was at a loss for words so he just growled and slammed the bathroom door shut with enough force that a screw fell out of the remaining hinge that kept the door attached to the frame. As soon as it had closed, Hermione let out a few snickers but also let a blush creep onto her cheeks. She was able to see right through his shirt and was surprised that it was to her liking. She finished her glass and lay back down on the bed on her back. Her teacher had broad shoulders with strong arms that made her heart flutter. Although his stomach was not completely toned like she saw the other wizards in the Witch Weekly had, it didn't discourage her visual ravaging in the least. Actually, it made the man more attractive knowing that he was not perfect… but close enough. Knowing that a dangerous and dark, half-dressed, full grown man was just in the room next to her was enough to keep her cheeks burning brightly.

_Since when does Snape take precedence over Ron?_ She asked herself incredulously. Hermione was feeling rather guilty for her impure thoughts and chided herself to be loyal to Ron even though he was already taken by that Brown girl. Besides that, Severus Snape was a teacher AND a Slytherin! Was she really dreaming about her enemy? The man hated her and was about to give her to the Dark Lord but for some reason, this didn't bother Hermione at all. It just vamped up her feelings towards the teacher. Although there was no explanation, she wanted to trust him with all her might. Trust the teacher that had saved her more times than she cared to count. Was he really going to surrender her? If not, then what were they really doing there? Was her teacher in love with her and he wanted to take her some place private to show his true feelings but was distracted by the Death Eaters?

The door flew open and broke Hermione's ridiculous, lust-filled thoughts. Snape swept past her and laid his folded dirty clothes, he had exchanged them for clean ones, on the floor before finishing buttoning up his dress shirt. He seemed rather perturbed and she couldn't blame him. Hermione reasoned that she would probably be having a fit herself if he had ruined a hot bath for her. Hermione could no longer deny it… she fancied Professor Snape. It was preposterous but she couldn't push him out of her thoughts any longer. Not since he kissed her. Wasn't she supposed to be angry with him? Wasn't she supposed to be trying to escape? Hermione wondered if seducing her was all part of his plan to keep her with him willingly so he could complete his task but, for some reason, she doubted it. If he really wanted to lead her into lust, he would be trying much harder and making moves on her… and Snape was doing nothing except scowling and complaining about her presence anywhere near his.

Severus silently, but deliberately, grabbed a pillow off the bed and angrily threw it to the floor where he had slept the previous night along with a musty smelling blanket to protect him from the splintering planks. Without so much as a good night, he waved his wand and the candles went out and the fire dimmed down to a soft crackling glow, hardly giving any light for Hermione to see. She took the initiative, changed into her teacher's dress shirt turned night gown, and tentatively crawled into the bed, deciding that trying to spend the night on the ground with him was not a smart idea. She bit her lip before sighing while debating whether she should say anything.

"Erm… Professor Snape?" she whispered in the dark, clutching the blankets to her chest, thinking that somehow that action would protect her from the wizard below.

Nothing.

"Professor?"

Nothing. Hermione was growing a little nervous and argued with herself before coming to the conclusion to not give up.

"Severus?"

A sharp remark came back in a hiss, "What?"

She almost squeaked at the iciness laced through the usually deep hypnotic voice but shook herself, "Nevermind…" Hermione sighed but then changed her mind in a matter of seconds, "Oh I mean… erm… what I wanted to say was—"

Nothing.

She let out a heavy moan, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tamper with your water temperature. I didn't think the sink would have that effect…"

Nothing.

Hermione was disappointed at not getting a response to her apology, "Well… erm… alright then, Good night…. Severus."

* * *

><p>Christmas Eve, much to Hermione's disappointment, went by quite uneventful. Professor Snape had decided that the need to speak to his student was unnecessary and imprudent and had not said a word to her all that day. He had, though, against Hermione's better judgment, used magic on the tree to light it up with small glowing orbs that made the parchment cranes glow when night had fallen. Bellatrix Lestrange and her followers had given up on them by midday and Snape and Hermione were now free to be more open with each other. Of course, Snape had kept to himself but Hermione had spoken to him anyways, whether he was listening or not. She was more than a little bored and her teacher's company was better than not having him with her at all. Hermione had also come to the conclusion that her fancy of the Potions Master was merely a fleeting feeling and was now replaced with a soft anger and annoyance whenever she even glanced his way. Ron was back in her mind in full force and poor Professor Snape was at the end of all her one sided conversations that were all about the red head and her feelings about their friendship and his relationship with Lavender Brown.<p>

"Can you believe she calls him Won-Won? I mean… really," Hermione moaned in disgust, still on her rant about Ron while Professor Snape sat on the armed chair in the corner, drawing up new lesson plans with some old ink, a quill, and the rest of the parchment that they had not used on the tree to try to distract him from the girl curled up on the bed, "I can't believe he lets her use that term… and in front of Malfoy too! Well I am sure you can guess that that git never leaves him alone about it. And who wouldn't tease him, honestly? It is rather dreadful and if it were me being called by such a ridiculous affection, I do believe I would go mad with embarrassment and call everything off or at least threaten to do so until the name-calling desists…"

Severus yawned softly, grabbing a new piece of parchment, and glanced up at the Gryffindor who was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling and still going strong in her ramblings, "And why would Ron be attracted to a girl who squeals and hops up and down for no apparent reason? Just the other day in Potions class with Slughorn, she wouldn't stop twirling and giggling and squealing like a pig over the love Potion we were supposed to be brewing," she sighed and shook her head dejectedly, "She probably wanted to give it to Ron to make him as obsessed and infatuated with her as she is with him. Disgusting, really. What does he see in her anyways? Just because she snogs him every chance she can manage… that shouldn't be his real interest, right?"

Hermione turned her head to her teacher whose eyes were back on the parchment, scribbling away, "Do you think Lavender Brown is attractive?" she asked him desperately, sitting up to await his answer.

He looked up, noticing that the tone in her voice must have been a question for him since he was hardly paying attention to her endless murmuring about the love of her life who happened to be one of his least favorite students, "Wh—what?" he kept writing.

She gave a whimper and pitifully flopped back down on the bed again, dramatically depressed, "Oh never mind, then, probably best you don't answer."

Severus shrugged slightly and went back to his concentrating on the topics against defending against a dark arts spell when Hermione sat up again in earnest with a frantic plea, "But really, do you think she is better looking than me?"

He rolled his eyes and let out an aggravated moan, "Do I think what?" he hissed viciously.

Hermione took no notice of his rude behavior or at least, she ignored it, "Is Lavender Brown prettier than me?"

He just stared at her incredulously, more shocked than anything that she so dearly wanted his opinion on something so worthless that was keeping him from his work. Where was the Hermione Granger he always knew who kept her face in books unless she was furiously completing extra credit assignments after finishing her homework? When had she decided to join reality and care about her appearance amongst other girls? He blinked again, "I do not think I am at the liberty to suggest anything concerning your dilemma."

She scooted towards him, "No, we aren't at Hogwarts and you are the most brutally honest teacher I know. I want your truthful opinion!"

He ran a hand through his black hair, thoroughly tired of her lovesick questions, "As your teacher, I must remind you that the both of you are my students! Do you honestly think I would take care to pay attention to which silly schoolgirl is prettier than the other?"

"Just answer my question! You have seen us loads of times… you have taught us since we were eleven years old! Which one of us is more attractive?" she was resolute in her inquiry that let him know that she would not let him alone until he gave her a legitimate answer.

"Oh God Granger," he rubbed his temples, annoyed, "I don't give a damn-"

"PLEASE ANSWER!" she begged, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and crossing her arms nervously, waiting for him, "Who is prettier?"

Severus watched her closely for awhile before placing his folded hands in his lap and forming a line for his mouth, "Miss Brown." He said curtly.

Hermione looked severely hurt but nodded in ascent as she tried to cover up her glassy eyes, "Yes… she is rather beautiful… and ten times better than I am." She sunk back down to the bed, lost in her thoughts and the silence that emanated the room was something Severus tried to revel in.

If he had been honest, he would've admitted that Hermione was much more attractive and most definitely smarter than the other girl but he really could care less about her love problems, "So, enlighten me, Granger," he tilted his head thoughtfully as she stared at him from her position, "when did you decide that Weasley was worth gawking at rather than the words in your books?"

She moaned, grabbing a pillow, curling into a ball that was facing the teacher who was conversing with her for the first real time that day, "It's been a long time now. I am not sure when it first started but…" she bit her lip, biting back her jealous tears, "I wish he noticed me more than just the girl stuck in the library all day."

He tried not to smirk, "And have you confronted him about your feelings?"

"Yes," she shook her head but then her face fell, "Well… I actually just set my charmed birds on him a few months back, hoping that that would give him the hint."

"Well obviously it didn't, unless he is not interested in you and just doesn't care." He commented.

Hermione rolled on her back again, "You are right, Professor. He is in love with Lavender, and I will always be Hermione Granger, his best mate next to Harry."

"Get a grip!" he snapped, "For God's sake, Granger, stop moping!"

She whimpered emotively and too dramatically for his taste, "You don't know how it feels to love someone and have them completely ignore you, do you? Maybe if you did, then you would understand how much it hurts! You are just being cruel!"

Severus stood, rearranging his notes, and spoke in a steady, careful tone, "Do not assume those things which you know not of!"

Hermione huffed and rolled away from him into a little ball and Severus could see her small shoulders shaking but he couldn't tell whether it was out of anger or because of sadness. He rolled his eyes, fed up with her pining tragedy, and prepared himself for bed. Removing his stiff coat, he grabbed a pillow off the old mattress, unfurled a worn blanket and seated himself down onto the floor again, deciding to go to bed early. Although he had not had anything to eat that day besides a few small pieces of chocolate, he ignored his growling stomach and tried to get some sleep. He could honestly not wait until he could get rid of Hermione once and for all after the weeks were over. Severus was ecstatic about the prospect of returning to Hogwarts, being able to separate himself as far as he could from her in the expansive castle.

She had cried herself to sleep in a flurry of small whimpers while he still lay awake and it wasn't for a few hours when her whining continued but in a different tone and manner. He recognized the miserable sounds she was making and concluded that she was indeed experiencing a nightmare. He lazily called out her name, not wanting to sit up and have to physically wake her. She didn't stop her sleep filled sobs,

"Granger, wake up!" he growled as he got to his feet unceremoniously and saw Hermione writhing with tears soaking her face.

Once he saw her in such a condition, he came to her side, sitting on the edge of the bed, "Granger!"

She didn't wake up but made small fearful noises and cried out a few mumbled words that he tried to not listen to although he caught a few without meaning to, "No! I believe… Harry—don't hurt Harry… Ron… run! No… no, no, no, no… you can't hurt them! I won't—no I won't let—won't let…" a blood curdling scream rang out through the small room which shook him to the core and he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He grabbed her shoulders tightly and shook her firmly, "Hermione, wake up, it's just a dream!"

"No… you have to kill me—no… you don't understand—I love… I love him!" Severus was sure she was talking about Ron and continued to try to revive her until he heard her something more, "Severus Snape—"

"Hermione! Wake up!" He pulled out his wand, dreading to hear anymore, "Rennervate!" he hissed and the girl in his arms' eyes opened with a frightened expression.

She stared up at him in sheer horror until she let out a heart wrenching sob and buried her face in his neck as she wrapped her limbs around his shoulders. Snape was not equipped or ready for this action but for some reason, he let it pass as she cried loudly and sniffed uncontrollably in a terrible fright. After a few more seconds of this behavior, he became increasingly uncomfortable with the proximity of her and quickly wrenched himself from her grasp. She was extremely put out about it but didn't say anything as she wiped her wet lashes.

"It was just a nightmare. I am sorry I didn't bring a dreamless sleep potion with me, I usually always carry a few draughts, including that one, in case of an emergency." He mumbled, cursing his forgetful mind.

She didn't respond to his comment but stared at him for a long while, her arms twitching to enfold the dark wizard in another distraught embrace, "You are alive…" she whispered softly.

He raised an eyebrow, feeling her forehead in case her nightmare was a result of a crazed fever but she was at a normal temperature, "Of course I am—"

She cautiously laid her small hand on his chest where his heart had been beating fast just moments before when she would not wake up, "You were being tortured," she shivered, "and they were threatening to do it to Harry and Ron."

Severus nodded, "I heard you talking in your sleep… you said something of the sort." He admitted but tried to leave the last few bits that she had frantically sobbed, out.

Hermione blushed violently, probably realizing that she could have slipped out what she had been really dreaming, "Oh um… I didn't want you to die… but the Death Eaters… they were saying how you betrayed them—"

"Stop, Granger," he pushed her hand off of his heart, "I am just fine."

She hugged herself, shaking from the terrible vision and Severus watched her. He was no good at comforting people, especially his female students that happened to be from Gryffindor! He was her protector though, and so, he had to take care of her one way or another and because of this, he stood up and retrieved one of his white dress shirts for her and set it in her lap, "Go change, Granger. You don't want to sleep in your clothes."

Hermione carefully slipped off the bed, went to the bathroom to change, and shyly came back to the old mattress, crawling under the worn blankets for some warmth and protection. Snape had decided he was more than likely fine to go back to his position on the floor when he felt Hermione tugging on the sleeve of his shirt, "Please don't go. I'm still frightened."

Severus growled, "You are a big girl."

She grabbed his hand this time and pulled him back to her when he tried to walk away, "No…"

He rounded on her when he felt an extra hard tug which set him off his balance and slightly tripped towards the bed. He caught himself quickly before he crashed, bracing his weight with both of his arms which Hermione had finally released against the mattress. But he wasn't able to stand up when his student embraced him once more very tightly. It was mcuh too late for him to be up and he figured he must have been half asleep to be in such a position. That's right… he was dreaming, wasn't he? Why wouldn't she let him go? After what seemed like an eternity to Severus, Hermione finally loosened her grip and he was able to pull away while her hands lingered and caressed around his neck as he retreated from her.

"I am glad you are alright." She whispered, tucking her legs underneath her and Severus couldn't help but notice that her shirt had either come undone in the frenzy of her hug or she had not buttoned it up all the way because he could see cleavage peeking out and it was rather disconcerting to him for some reason. Why was his student hugging him while being dressed so inappropriately? Why did he let it happen?

He stared at her like she was some kind of spectacle that he had never seen before, "I'm fine." He finally stated, realizing that she had said something to him while he was gawking.

Hermione blushed furiously and bit her lip as the dress shirt slipped off her shoulder slightly and sent her teacher into another silent fit in his mind. What was going on with him? Why was he seeing his student in a new light? He tried to shake it off but a small voice in the back of his head kept chanting…

_She is seventeen… she is seventeen… she is an adult and wants your touch… she is seventeen…_

Severus huffed and made a disapproving clicking noise with his tongue before turning around and retreating to his makeshift bed on the floor, "Good night… Granger." He murmured coldly before shutting his eyes fervently and holding them tight until he was finally able to push out the impure thoughts in his head and fall asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione awoke in the early hours of the morning, much to her dismay, and found the little room they were in was freezing cold. The flames had burnt out and another load of firewood was in order. Before she could even try to convince herself to pull away from her warm retreat under the covers, another much more enticing plan had meandered its way into her thoughts, tempting Hermione to forget her other idea of logs in the hearth. A nice hot shower would make her feel so much better after her terrible nightmare and lack of slumber. Her teacher was still sleeping soundly and she figured she would not be causing any harm if she slipped into the lavatory and took refuge in the steaming water. The muscles in her face ached from the unnatural expressions that had taken over in her horror-filled dreams and the tired nagging of her bloodshot eyes reminded her, as well as the dried tears stains on her face, that she had been crying quite profusely and preferred to let the hot water wash her pains away.

Without much more convincing or persuading, Hermione quietly let herself free of the warm blankets and headed towards the bathroom. She lit her wand and the candles in the small space and hesitantly turned the freezing metal knobs to let the water rush out of the faucet. Hermione undressed herself, slipping off the thin, white dress shirt off her shivering body and quickly took shelter in the hot streams of water. So many strange thoughts had been circulating within her that she relished being able to let go as the heat swarmed around her and she could finally relax. The way that Professor Snape had been looking at her when he woke her up was something she never thought she would ever see… something along the lines of longing. Longing for what? For her? For someone else… for something else? She was baffled but in the back of her mind, her conscience was telling her that those dark eyes had wanted _her_.

She never knew her teacher to behave in such a way as to show that much emotion and yet she welcomed it. Hermione knew she could not say that she felt the way she thought he was feeling towards her, but she could not deny her wanting to feel his lips again. The only other boy she had kissed was Viktor Krum if she wasn't counting the boy next door when she was only seven which was purely for experimental purposes only. Yet Severus Snape was hardly a boy. He was a full grown man with needs… needs that perhaps he wanted her to fulfill? Hermione shook her thoughts quickly, chastising herself for her impure thinking. Snape was her teacher and she knew it would take a full blown miracle for him to ever touch her again. They both knew that what had happened was inappropriate and Hermione also had to remind herself that he had never really kissed her. He had covered her mouth with his own, pushing hard to silence her while his hands pinned her wrestling limbs from making any noise. There was no tender touch and caress. It was only to silence her from the Death Eaters.

The Death Eaters! Hermione had almost forgotten about everything that had been transpiring the last few days. Snape was still planning to hand her over to the Dark Lord and she needed to find a way to escape. It was extremely difficult to read the teacher considering his wonderful talent of Occlumency, Legilimency, and countless years of spying. But now… was Snape spying and working for Dumbledore or was he fooling the Headmaster all along and handing over Hermione like some item with no value to him? Harry had been more than a little suspicious of the dark teacher since the term started, doubting every move that Snape had made especially when he overheard the man conversing with Draco about some evil plot. Should Hermione take caution to this? She was starting to wonder what the true motives of the teacher really were. He seemed so harmless to her, he had never mistreated her and he had made no suggestion or sign that he was about to deliver her death sentence. What was Severus Snape up to?

Hermione's thoughts were shattered when sheets of ice cold water replaced her hot shower. She let out a loud yelp and out of impulse, hopped out of the water, grabbed a towel and swung the door open, hoping that her teacher could help her in her plight. On her way out of the lavatory, Hermione tripped on a loose floor board and heard a loud crack and bang as she and the broken door went plunging to the ground. Out of shock, she laid there for a moment, shivering and breathing heavy from the sudden fright. After a few moments when she was sure she was safely on the ground, out of the cold water, she noticed a dark figure, leaning casually against the wall. Her head shot up as her hands grasped the old towel close to her soaking body and she gasped.

There he was… Severus Snape… in all his glory, standing like a proud lion that had just conquered his foe. His shoulder rested on the door frame with one foot crossed over the other, lazily. In his left hand, he held a chipped wine glass that held the less than sanitary tap water that they were cursed to drink during their stay. A smirk was plastered over his pale exterior and he slowly raised the glass to her and took a polite sip before saying,

"I believe we will call it a draw."

Hermione scrambled to her feet, livid. He had turned on the water purposefully to get even when she had done the very same thing to him the night before, although she didn't do it on purpose. She was not pleased… at all.

"How dare you!" she cried out, wringing her sopping wet hair of the soap bubbles that were still in it. Her wonderful shower was ruined and she was not going to chance going back in it. She would simply have to siphon the serum out of her locks.

His grin widened, "I was hoping you would say something like that."

Hermione's eyebrows rose in shock and disbelief, "What was that for? You knew yesterday was an accident!"

Snape took another sip, this time, disgust traveled over him at the unsanitary taste of the fluid he was drinking, "Such a pity isn't it? Wasting a most enjoyable shower for such a low quality substance? I wonder why you had not the sense to steer clear of it?"

She was fuming now, "I didn't mean to! I didn't know that the water would go cold as soon as you turn it on! I can't believe you!"

He turned and dumped the cloudy liquid down the sink and changed the subject with a dismissive wave of his hand, "I must admit I am shocked that you have not wished me a Merry Christmas yet seeing as you have an obsessive fascination with the pompous holiday."

He pushed her too far and she was livid, "I don't owe you a single Merry Christmas, you bast-"

Her words stopped in her mouth when she saw a wrapped gift, complete with a bow, on her pillow where her head had rested just a half hour before. She looked from her teacher to the bed again and was stumped. She didn't understand how it could have gotten there. There was no way he would participate in Christmas… let alone give her a gift! Right? Before Hermione had any more time to say something, Severus sighed and announced,

"Now that the bathroom is finally freed, I will go freshen up myself." He pointed the wand at the door and this time, it fixed itself completely, screwing into both hinges and shutting behind the professor.

She meandered over to the bed with only her towel for coverage and inspected the gift, afraid that it might contain some unknown, dark curse. She poked it with her wand to see if anything would happen and when it didn't, she decided it was safe to touch it and open it up. It was wrapped in a dark green paper with a red ribbon elegantly tied at the top. She undid the knot and ripped through the wrappings until she found a box that contained an item that she had completely forgotten about. The radio. By the time Severus had gotten out of the shower, he found Hermione fully dressed and humming along to the holiday tunes of the muggle object he had fixed for her while cleaning some dishes. He wanted to smile for some reason but stopped himself before she could see his pleasure at her reaction. Hermione turned and beamed at her teacher,

"You fixed it! When did you have time to do that? I don't ever remember you touching it again!"

He didn't reply as he took a bit of jerky from the cupboard and walked over to the pile of papers he had been working on the day before as he popped the dried meat in his mouth. Hermione didn't lose heart, "Thank you… this will make everything perfect. I didn't think we would have much of a Christmas until now."

She walked a little closer to him as he sat down on the bed, almost oblivious to the girl standing in front of him… or at least that was how he was making her feel, "I didn't know we would be exchanging gifts…" she said hesitantly, "What can I give you for Christmas?"

He looked up, almost annoyed and sighed at her, "A day full of peace a quiet!" he sat for a moment longer, taking her offer into account, "No ridiculous stories about Weasley and Potter, no humming or singing, and definitely no more questions! Now turn that blasted thing down and let me be."

Hermione was taken aback at the sudden change of attitude. He went from cocky and playful to agitated in one smooth blow. She swallowed a bit, "Um… alright. Well," she wrung her hands, trying to think of some way to get out her feelings. Hermione bent down and quickly, very quickly, pecked his cheek, "Merry Christmas, Professor."

If he was shocked at her display of affection towards him, he didn't show it at all. Severus turned back to his papers and buried himself in his notes. Hermione didn't really know what else to do so she backed away from the teacher and continued her cleaning, letting her mind race once more. After what seemed like hours or even days of hearing Snape's quill scratching on the parchment, Hermione finally saw her teacher slumped back against the head board and breathing evenly. He was asleep! She figured he must have been exhausted if he could fall asleep in front of her as well as sitting upright. With a flick of her wand, a broom was transfigured from a wooden spoon and started to softly sweep up the floor as she retreated towards the man. Hermione took the inkpot in his lap, screwed on the lid and set it on the bedside table before removing the quill from his limp, ink-stained hand. She also slid the papers off of him and pulled the covers over his legs that had kept her so warm the night before.

He appeared very vulnerable when he was asleep and it almost unnerved her how old he looked and how worn out he really was when he wasn't screwing up his face in a sneer. What had the years done to him? What had happened in his life to make him age so quickly? Was it the stress of living in a castle full of teenagers or being a spy? Was it something personal? Hermione had not a clue but felt pity for him as she returned to her cleaning, trying to be quite noiseless, so as to not wake him up. After a few more hours had passed and Hermione had finally and successfully managed to transfigure the jerky into a roasting turkey over the fire since the oven was still broken, she looked around at her handiwork of sprucing up the place. She had added a few more decorations, admittedly it was with magic, but she didn't care at that point… garland was hanging from the walls and she had lit up the tree like Snape had previously done but also added a charm to make the cranes softly flutter around the Fir while turning red to green and back again.

She had fixed the table and expanded it enough to seat two people and she had transfigured an old quilt into a lace tablecloth that she was quite proud of. The chipped dishes she had cleaned up were now sparkling china and the glasses were gleaming off the glow of the raging fireplace. She took advantage of the fact that Severus was still sleeping and decided to clean herself up a bit to look more appropriate for the occasion of Christmas dinner. Once she had deemed herself suitable, Hermione had returned to the warm room and turned the radio back on amidst the white noise that crackled as the holiday music spread out. This was enough to wake up the Professor because as soon as she had wound the dial, Snape jumped slightly and looked around him as if he didn't know where he was. His eyes landed on Hermione and what was at first a look of anger from being woken up was replaced with something entirely foreign to her.

Severus examined his student with great care. She was genuinely happy and was looking rather stunning in her usual clothes but he noticed how they had been washed with care and her hair had been wrapped up in a simple but elegant bun. The one thing that really stood out to him was her glowing aura. She was literally beaming at him and it made her almost angelically beautiful.

"Merry Christmas!" she smiled softly, swiftly walking towards the drawer that held his usual clothes. She gingerly removed the last set and laid them on the bed, complete with his usual cloak that he had brought with them to the little shack. It was washed of all dirt that had collected on it from his venturing into the snow.

He was speechless but already knew what she wanted before she spoke with a smile, "I thought… seeing as it is Christmas and we are having a rather nice dinner… that we could wear our best for the occasion. It's not much… but I hope this will do." She patted the folded jacket and slacks with earnest.

Severus winced from a stiff back as he sat up straight, threw the covers off his legs and stood up, realizing that he had fallen asleep in the midst of paperwork and it was Hermione who had practically tucked him in for a nap. It was pathetic but he was also grateful for her thoughtfulness which he knew he would never fully admit to her. He blinked a few times, trying to get used to the dim light that was setting the room in a soft glow. Severus turned to Hermione and grabbed the clothing she laid out and without a word, retreated to the bathroom where he changed effortlessly although a little tired still. When he re-emerged, Hermione was adjusting the silverware… appearing a bit nervous but overall, anxious to get started. He was absolutely famished and knew his pupil had to be as well and he could almost taste the aroma of the turkey in his watering mouth.

"I hope you enjoy this… I have never transfigured food before, believe it or not, and it took me quite a long time to do so. I kept turning the jerky into a half plucked pigeon." Hermione blushed when her teacher motioned for her to sit down as he pulled out her chair for her.

"Thank you for that enlightenment and for ruining my meal, Miss Granger." He said politely although it was dripping with sarcasm.

She tried to change the subject, "You look wonderful tonight, Professor…. And if I do say so myself, a bit more rested up than usual. Perhaps you should consider taking more naps every now and then." Hermione smiled as she flicked her wand and two knives started to carve the roasted bird.

He rolled his eyes and sat back, "Most opinions are best kept unsaid." He retorted quietly.

Hermione wasn't swayed by his words, "But advice is wise to follow."

Severus started for his glass when he realized that there was no liquid inside to quench his thirst since the knives his student was charming were taking forever to cut the fowl up, "No… drink?" he said cheekily.

She sighed, exasperated, "Can you not be terrible and sarcastic… for once in your life?"

He let his lips set in a thin line as he abruptly stood up and retrieved a large bottle of wine from the cupboard, "This should do…" he mumbled to himself as he set it down on the table and uncorked the bottle with ease. Before she could protest, he had poured them both a rather large glass of a deep red liquid.

"Are you really giving your student alcohol? Isn't that a bit irresponsible?" she smiled as the pieces of turkey finally dished themselves onto the china as well as various side dishes.

"In what way?" he asked after taking a sip and licking his lips.

Hermione blushed again when she saw his tongue move across his mouth but she decided not to comment when he raised an eyebrow at her stares, "What teacher would try to intoxicate a pupil?"

He shrugged, "That is delving into the possibilities of the motives behind it."

Severus took a large bite out of the turkey and almost moaned at finally having real food in his mouth once more. Of course it wasn't up to par in comparison to Hogwarts but it was delicious just the same. Hermione looked confused by his comeback and took a small nibble of her food, "Motives?"

"Well ultimately… there are two real options here… either I am trying to get you drunk and have my way with you, whatever direction I may take is questionable, or I am simply trying to celebrate a small feast with one of my students, and hope to Merlin that you will not become over taken by the wine in which case I will most likely have to use a Muffliato charm on you." He raised his glass to her and took another sip before swirling the liquid in his glass around.

Hermione was astonished and shocked. She didn't know what to say about his comments. He was going to have his way with her? Why would he even joke about something like that? Was he already drunk? She tried to stay calm and smiled politely smile, "Muffliato?"

He smirked at her, "I'm only guessing but I am sure that I am correct in assuming that your state of drunkenness would leave you incapable of shutting up."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh stop! You are being so rude!"

"I only speak the truth." He said between large forkfuls of food.

Hermione was still taken aback to say the least but she tried to act nonchalant, "So how do you like my food?"

"It is actually quite good, thank you." He murmured softly, taking another bite.

She smiled to herself and decided that it was better to eat instead of interrupting his meal so she, herself, began to scarf down her dinner that could rival Ron's appetite at the Beginning of Term Feast which was an epic sight to behold. After several minutes, she heard a note of displeasure from her teacher's voice, "Are you an animal?"

Hermione dropped her fork and swallowed, "Excuse me?"

"You eat like a pig. Keep it up and you will be in the restroom for the rest of the night, retching out the contents of your stomach." He frowned.

She blushed and sat up a little straighter, realizing that she had been hunched over her meal, "Oh… erm… I guess I was a little hungry."

He finished his glass of wine, "Your guess seems to be right."

They did not speak again for quite some time. In fact, Hermione could have sworn an hour had passed by and she was gulping down more wine than she knew she should have. Her emotions seemed a bit more extreme and her speech was a little slurred. She hiccupped and looked at her teacher sheepishly, "Excuse me."

Suddenly a thought came to her head and she soon realized that she was speaking it aloud, "My parents used to dance at least once or twice on Christmas Eve… I remember this song coming on… they always had so much fun."

Hermione hiccupped again, "My father would take a few turns with me as well. My parents always thought that Christmas should be more of a celebration than what is tradition and so they would always take time to dance."

Severus remained quiet for a time before Hermione leaned her head against the table, ready to sleep, "I like dancing." She whispered.

Something was tugging at the back of his mind but he ignored it as he poured her another glass which she greedily took when she heard the liquid splashing against the flute. She almost finished the whole thing when she stopped to take a breath and tears rolled down her face, "I wish Ron was here… he would dance with me!" she said defensively and slammed down her drink, letting wine spill onto the table.

"I thought we made a deal this morning—"

"Oh go to hell! I'm in love with Ron, don't you see? I can't stop talking about him. I can't stop thinking about him. He is my life." Her head dropped back down to the surface of the wood covered in lace.

"If he is your life, then why is he with Lavender Brown? You silly girl!" he rolled his eyes.

She growled at him, "At least I have a heart! That is more than I can say for you!"

At that comment, he whipped up out of his chair and snarled dangerously at her, "You have no idea who I am or what my life has consisted of! Stop trying to assume you know who I am!" he grabbed his glass and Hermione's and finished off both.

Hermione's upper lip curled in annoyance, "Oh sod off! He loves me! I know he does… Ron loves me!"

"If he loved you, then why has he been snogging with her at all hours of the day and night? Wake up and smell the roses, Granger! Its obvious who his loyalties lie with now!"

Hermione looked up at her teacher with angry tears, "He loves me! You are lying! He is just trying to be nice to her, he told me I was much prettier than her anyways!"

"Well that's a fat lie! Anyone with eyes can see who is more attractive!" he sputtered, fury pumping through his veins and he could feel the alcohol taking over.

Hermione stood up, looking horror stricken and depressed, "You're right…" she sighed, "he loves her. I just made up Ron's compliment to try to convince myself. He has never complimented my appearance or anything other than my knack of getting him and Harry out of trouble!"

"Stupid girl!" he hissed.

She bit her lip and turned away, "Just leave me alone! I already know no one wants me. I will probably end up becoming an old maid… I'll probably be watching Harry's and Ron's children until I am old and grey…"

He was absolutely livid! Had she not figured anything out yet? He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to face him, "Have you not noticed that someone does want you?"

She wriggled herself out of his grasp and screamed at him, "Stop trying to make me feel worse! I'm already miserable! Are you happy? I am finally as lonely as you!"

"Did you hear ANYTHING I JUST SAID?" he hollered at her.

Hermione picked up her glass and threw it at the wall, frustrated and confused, "Alright then! Enlighten me, Professor! Who in their right mind would want me?"

He turned her around again, trying to fight off her tugging away from him, "Will you just listen and…. Goddamnit GRANGER STOP!" he grabbed her by the shoulders to face him.

"Look who is right in front you! Me! Did you ever stop to consider me? Did you ever think of me when you wanted to kiss Weasley? Did you ever think of me wanting to kiss you?" he let her go and kicked the table over, the dishes and bottle of wine shattered, "GOD DAMN YOU!"


	9. Chapter 9

"Y-you…" Hermione stuttered in shock.

Severus growled at himself and ran a violent hand through his raven tresses that had gotten out of control in his fit of rage, "Am I not a suitable candidate?"

She backed away a foot or two, "Y-you're a… a teacher."

"According to you, that shouldn't really matter." He finished flatly, trying to stand straight but was rocking uncontrollably.

"You read my mind while we have been staying here, haven't you?" she accused, pointing a harsh finger at the dark man while backing away further.

Severus frowned, "Of course not!" he tried to stifle a hiccup, "You kept repeating to me over and over and over again how we are outside of school and shouldn't be so formal!"

Hermione bit her lip, "But you're a teacher…"

"I think we established that already." He mumbled and sat on the edge of the bed, "We drank too much…"

A muffled voice came from behind the cupboard door and Severus' slow senses picked it up when he turned his head to match the noise to the source, "Not enough!" She returned with another large bottle, roughly popped off the cork and took a long swig of alcohol.

He groaned something that Hermione could not make out but wasn't very worried about it. As she tried to take a seat next to her teacher, realization dawned on her too late that she had misjudged the distance and had fallen to the floor in an intoxicated heap. Content with her position on the ground and leaning against the bed, Hermione patted the spot next to her to motion for Snape to join. Without much arguing, he quickly took his seat and grabbed the bottle from her to get a large helping of the fluid. She whined when he gave the bottle back to find that he had indeed gulped down almost half of the contents. Before she could get too upset, she hiccupped and forgot why she was going to lecture the man adjacent her and sighed while letting the glass bottle slip from her loose grasp as she leaned on the shoulder of her teacher. They sat there for almost a half an hour before she said anything.

"I never understood Ron's taste in women. Harry isn't much better but at least he has the sense to want a girl with actual intellect and… and…" her voice trailed off and she looked deep in thought.

Severus looked down at her scrunched up features, "And… what?"

She looked up at him with a questionable brow as if he had the answer written on his face and then simply responded, "I'm not sure I remember."

He shrugged, not really caring. He was so tired of her talking about the Weasley boy and Potter… but he was so numb to everything that he didn't mind as much at that moment what the girl next to him decided to converse about, "Just as well, I'm not sure Weasley has the brains to make that decision."

Hermione looked confused, "What decision?"

Severus licked his lips, took the bottle from Hermione again and swigged another large portion of the alcohol down his throat, "What decision are you talking about?" he mumbled, slamming the bottle against her abdomen for her to take from his grasp.

It was Hermione's turn to shrug as she took another drink, "Do you think I will ever have a chance with Ronald? Do you think he misses me right now?"

He fidgeted against the bed until he was more comfortable, "The terrible thing is that you have more than a winning chance with him but you are better than that. Don't waste your time with such Dunderhead-material. Look for someone like me… someone smart-"

Hermione hiccupped, "Someone with greasy hair?" she laid her head on his shoulder and looked up at him with an honest face, sending a message that she was being truthful and serious and not trying to make a joke out of him. It seemed as though she was trying to take his advice and was mentally preparing to go on a mission to find a Severus Snape look-alike.

Severus huffed, "I think that is beside the point," he straightened up a little and tried to cover up her referring to his looks as a model for the perfect man, "but if they happen to not appear as attractive that shouldn't persuade you either way. Look for a man with a brain on him… something Potter and Weasley don't have."

"So… in other words…" she said thoughtfully, lifting her head in wonder, "Look for wrackspurts… and if they don't have them… then they are dating material?"

He whipped his head to her in confusion, "What?"

Hermione was having a conversation to herself, "Well then definitely cross Harry off the list of candidates…"

"What are wonkyspots?" he asked her dreamily, taking another drink.

She looked at him with a face full of comprehension but her stare was blank, "Wigglysnaps?"

He shook his head with fervor and corrected her, "No… Wormstems."

"Warmsods?" she asked again.

He shrugged, "Maybe."

Hermione settled down on his shoulder again, "Lavender is so pretty… I wonder if I took the time to brush my hair…"

Snape snorted, "It will take more than a hairbrush to fix those features."

Hermione growled, "I wonder how she does it. How does she make her hair so soft and smooth and curly?"

"You do have a wand." He suggested plainly.

Taking this into consideration, she nodded, "That I do, but I wonder how to use it against this bush." She motioned towards her curls.

Severus rested his head atop her own, "That is a fair question."

"I thought so."

"I wonder how Weasley would react?" he thought aloud.

Hermione sighed and looped her arm through his, "Maybe he would finally kiss me."

"Perhaps… although I think he is dumb enough to not get the hint." He said darkly, wondering why any boy Hermione's age with any sense in them would not be interested in her. She was pretty enough… nothing special… but she was extremely intelligent and thoughtful even though her mouth did tend to run away with her from time to time.

His student held his arm tighter, "That is a possibility."

Severus was content for the first time in quite awhile to have the teenage girl next to him, "What do you see in Weasley anyways?"

Hermione yawned, "I don't remember for sure, but I think he has a good heart and good intentions… most of the time."

"Most of the time?"

She nodded, "He can be quite thick, you know. It's not uncommon for him." Hermione cleared her throat and tried to drink from the bottle again but realized it was empty after a few moments of shaking it, "So when are you planning on handing me over?"

Snape swallowed lazily, "Mmm what?"

Hermione adjusted herself so she was looking straight at him, "When are you going to hand me over to Voldemort?"

"The Dark Lord? Why would I do that?" he asked her honestly.

She cocked her head, "What? You brought me here away from Hogwarts to give me away to Voldemort!"

"Give you away? Like getting married?" Severus looked completely frazzled, "I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but the Dark Lord doesn't want anything to do with an less-than-average looking muggle-born teenager."

"What about Dumbledore's plan then?" she questioned, trying to clear her fuzzy mind.

Severus sighed, "Oh… I understand now… yes there was a plan to endanger you and your little boyfriends… but why would Voldemort want to marry you?"

Hermione shrugged, "You have a point there." After a moment of silence she commented, "You're not so bad to live with, you know." She nudged him in the side, "You're almost enjoyable."

He closed his eyes, "I will take that as a compliment then. Or should it be an insult? Hearing anything positive about myself from a Gryffindor means that I am not doing my job well enough."

She considered this, "Yes you could look at it both ways but I would like to fancy that you would take it as a compliment that you aren't a greasy, slimy git who has inhaled too many potions as I thought before."

"You really thought that?" he asked sincerely, looking down at his student.

She nodded wholeheartedly, "Yes, it is quite pathetic actually. You kind of brought it on yourself, you know," Hermione advised him, "the whole _I'm a strict mean teacher who wants to make my students' lives a living hell and make their boggarts transform into a figure of me _thingdoesn't help your case, I'm afraid."

"It is quite thrilling, I must admit, to invoke so much fear and trepidation in my students at the mere sight of me…" he paused, saw Hermione's scolding look as if he weren't telling the whole truth, and then corrected himself, "I guess I should have added disgust along with the fear…"

Hermione nodded enthusiastically, "You are quite right!"

After another lengthy silence, she stared her teacher down, "You don't really want me or love me, do you?" it was more of a statement than a question.

He shook his head, "Not a chance in hell."

She wavered a bit nonchalantly, "I figured as much… I can agree to that and it is quite understandable."

He met her eyes, "I thought you would be reasonable."

Hermione leaned back ungracefully, "I never thought I would see the day that I would get drunk with my Potions teacher… on Christmas…. In a shack… and scream false confessions of our love for each other."

"I must attest to the same." He put his arm around her in an awkward way and caught Hermione's hair which made her very uncomfortable in her position but she ignored it and sunk into his warm chest.

"We are so drunk." She giggled and hiccupped.

He smirked, "I don't mind it as much as I thought I would when I pulled out the first bottle of wine this evening. You are quite enjoyable while under the influence, Miss Granger."

Hermione nuzzled her cheek closer into his coat and grinned, "Who knew I would be cuddling with the bat of the dungeons?"

The teacher shrugged, "Who knew…" he yawned, "It's time for bed, I think."

"NO! Not yet!" she cooed to him, grabbing a few buttons and tugging on them like a two year old would when throwing a fit.

Severus looked down at her, "Why?"

"We can't break tradition!" she told him like he knew the obvious answer to her dilemma.

"What tradition?" he stifled a burp.

Hermione clambered to her knees after clumsily letting go of her professor and finally stood up with wobbly legs, "Dance with me, Severus Snape!"

"What?" his eyes widened.

"I want you to take my waist and hand, and dance with your insufferable know-it-all!" she managed to work out the motions of dancing with an invisible partner.

He smiled, "Well when you put it like that…" Severus jumped to his feet or at least tried and stumbled a bit before gaining his balance on the ground.

Hermione turned the radio volume up as loud as it would go and the white noise crackled throughout the room to the tune of _Jingle Bell Rock_, "Well…" she shrugged towards the radio, "who says it's against the rules to slow dance to an upbeat song?"

Severus smirked foolishly, "What rules?"

"I'm not sure…" she giggled and lunged forward and leaned all her weight against her teacher and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Aren't you supposed to take my hand and my shoulder?" he mumbled, bracing himself to not fall over from her limp body against his unstable one.

Hermione nuzzled into his chest again, "I thought there were no rules…"

He wrapped his arms around her, "Well damn… I guess you're right… did you read that in a book somewhere?"

She laughed, "Wouldn't you like to know…"

They waddled around like that for at least four songs and few muggle coffee infomercials before either one piped up again. It was Hermione who spoke first and this time she was extremely solemn, "Can we stay like this forever?"

Severus picked up his head which had been leaning languidly on top of Hermione's and repeated the question he thought she was asking, "Can we sway in circles forever?"

She shook her head and looked up at him, "Can we just pretend to love each other forever? I have found I really enjoy it."

"Is that what we are doing?"

She shook her head yes, "I believe so… why else would you let me cuddle with you and dance with you?"

"This is true…" he commented, "I suppose we could for a bit… but not forever. You have a wonderful life ahead of you that shouldn't be replaced with imitated affection for me, my dear."

"What if I wanted it to be that way? I really like you… you make me… happy." She decided on the words after a moment's pause.

"No… I won't let you ruin your life like that, but I will indulge you tonight. I too must admit I feel the same way in the fact that I am enjoying our love arrangement where we entitle ourselves to dote on eachother." He kissed her forehead lightly and Hermione smiled against his touch.

She fluttered her eyelashes a bit, "If we are pretending… can I tell you that I love you?"

He thought about it and then nodded, "I suppose so."

"I love you, Severus." She stood a littler straighter and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He reacted in a way Hermione wasn't expecting as she felt him fumbling rather quickly with his cloak and saw him pushing his wand further in one of his pockets as if he had been using it before. At that moment, Mistletoe sprang to life above their heads and Hermione appeared dumbstruck, not being able to make sense of the wand and the mysteriously charmed plant to grow out of thin air.

"That's funny…" she admired the berries.

Severus tilted his head in wonder, "What is?"

Hermione's caramel orbs met his dark ones, "How does Mistletoe know exactly when a couple should kiss?"

He was confused now, "They don't have minds of their own…"

Hermione nodded, "Last year, Harry and Cho Chang were in the Room of Requirement and this very same thing happened to them. But I figured it was the room that was offering something that seemed to be needed according to what the people in the room were in service of."

"What?" his stare was blank and he couldn't understand hardly a word she was mumbling.

"It seems that I was wrong. Maybe Looney Lovegood was right… maybe the Nargles do exist…"

He finally caught up with the girl's mind processing, "Wouldn't be the first time, now would it?"

Hermione's eyes widened in shock, realization dawned on her, "It was you! Your wand… you charmed-"

She was interrupted when her teacher's lips came crashing to hers in a feverish need for caressing. Pushing away from him, she took a deep breath and wiped some slobber off her chin that was exchanged between them, "Merlin's Beard, Professor! You didn't let me take a breath so we could make it last longer!"

He nodded in agreement, "I guess I forgot we need oxygen after some point…"

Hermione went through practice sessions, breathing in large portions of the air around her with enthusiasm, "I need to make sure… I am fully… prepared for contact and… extensive periods… of time that we… will not be taking advantage… of our lungs!"

Severus thought about this, "Sounds good enough to me."

She licked her lips before stepping towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck, "I believe sufficient time has been allotted… now it is time for our frivolities."

He smiled at her, "Kiss me, you stupid girl."

Hermione inhaled dramatically and pasted her lips against his in an effort to practically swallow his face in a suction cup like way. There were slurping sounds and smacking of lips and moans and walls being slammed into from lack of balance on both of their parts. It was definitely a messy affair but it was exciting nonetheless. Severus held Hermione close to him, smashing her against his abdomen which she responded to by pulling harder around his neck and running careless hands through his hair. When they broke for air, Hermione started shaking involuntarily with pleasure when she felt an out of breath pair of lips leave hasty kisses on her neck. She moaned while her chest heaved for more oxygen and pulled the dark man closer to her.

"I love you…" she breathed.

He played along, "I… love you… too, Granger."

She picked up his face with her small hands and placed sloppy kisses along his thin lips, "You are a terrible kisser…"

He shrugged, "I have to say the same for you, my little suction cup."

She sniggered and looked up at him, "Does the spell break at midnight?"

"Spell?" he caressed her jaw with his thumb.

She smiled, "Like Cinderella?"

"Oh you mean our little game of pretend?"

Hermione nodded solemnly, genuinely sad for the affair to be over soon if it did indeed become defective in a few hours. Severus sighed, "Perhaps we will see what the morning brings. I for one do not intend to make our affair have a schedule."

She beamed at him, "Oh good! I am so tired!" she then explained at the sight of his confused face, "I don't want to sleep alone tonight."

"You…. Want to sleep with me?" he was utterly astonished, even in his drunken state.

Hermione hiccupped, "Will you?"

"I guess I don't see why not… if we are still pretending to be madly in love with each other than that would most likely be in the order of the day." He supplied.

"Alright! Let me change please!" she rushed out of his arms and yanked open his drawer of extra clothes to find nothing left in it… no extra shirt was available as her night dress. She gave a disappointed cry and looked back to Severus for a solution.

He sighed and without a word, began to unfasten the many buttons of his coat. Hermione didn't understand what was going on and was slightly alarmed until Severus finally explained when he slipped his jacket off, "You can use this shirt… it's the cleanest one we have and I will wear the one I was sporting earlier before dinner."

She finally understood and hesitantly took the proffered white fabric that emanated the strong scent of the man before her which she had to admit that she thoroughly enjoyed. Hermione retreated to the bathroom, slipped off her own garments and carefully, so she could bask in the strong aroma that the material held, pulled on the shirt and started buttoning it up. She examined herself in the cracked mirror and gave a little hiccup. She wasn't terribly repulsing. Amidst the commotion of their heavy snogging, Hermione's bun had sprung free and her thick waves had come billowing out again. Her face glowed a little pink with the alcohol and her dilated eyes told of her evening. Looking down at her chest she examined her small bust and frowned in the mirror… Lavender had a larger chest than her and it made her suddenly very jealous and angry.

It took quite a bit of time for Hermione to calm herself down about her lack of a large bosom and pulled down slightly on the white fabric to hide a little more of her skinny thighs. Before she knew what was happening, Severus walked in behind her and appeared in the mirror looking pleasantly frazzled. He put his hands on her shoulders and gently began to rub at her stiff muscles. Hermione moaned and leaned back into him, showing her pleasure at his nurturing touch to help her relax. He responded by placing a kiss atop her curls and wrapped his arms around her waist and seemed to be entranced by her figure in the mirror. She waited for him to say something but was not inclined to see his lips move. Severus unhooked his arms from her and let his hands rest on her waist, cinching in the loose fabric around her thin body to show off her slight curves.

"Do you honestly think you are hideous?" he almost reprimanded her, letting go of the shirt and pulling one sleeve down to reveal her dainty shoulder. He placed a small kiss on the bare skin before completely turning her loose of his touch.

Hermione stared at him through the mirror, "You read my mind, didn't you?"

He nodded, "You were taking a long time and I didn't want to barge in on you…. So I let myself into your thoughts for mere seconds."

"Oh…" she sighed and then added, "Do you think I'm ugly?"

Without words, he gave his response when he lightly touched his lips to her own and then swept her up in his arms, holding her to him tightly, and taking her out of the bathroom. Hermione cried out in shock but smiled at him and kissed his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. The conversation was over and she knew it. He wouldn't answer that question because it was past the unspoken boundaries of their game of pretend… but that small kiss he gave her… it wasn't a furious, lust-filled passionate kiss. It was tender and gentle—but most of all, comforting. Hermione was comforted to be in her teacher's arms. They both knew that they would only be falling asleep together and nothing more passionate than kissing would escape them but with the way they held themselves in preparation for bed would seem otherwise.

He set her down on the bed softly and climbed on top of her, not letting any part of his body weight affect her. Severus returned to her neck very diligently and worked his way around her thin frame with ease. He stopped to kiss her collar bone and shoulders and let his tongue flick across her tender throat until he found her lips again and let her respond back to him. Hermione snogged the man like she had never snogged anyone before. Gone was the fast paced and sloppy kisses from before and it was placed with a need for fulfillment and an honest affection for the teacher that she had never felt before. She doubted that he would notice but she let her lips do the talking until they finally had to pull away for air. Hermione brushed through his raven hair and admired the shimmering tresses in the firelight and sparkling glow from the tree. Her teacher was more than handsome, he was beautiful. Severus Snape had waves that felt like silk, eyes that were so dark, they burned her soul, lips that were softer than air and a presence that exuded a dominating power. She knew in that instant that nothing would happen to her as long as the man was with her.

"Severus?" Hermione questioned, still brushing her fingers through his hair although he had rested his head against her heart.

"Hmmm?" he murmured and she could tell that he was thoroughly enjoying her playing with his raven locks.

"Who was your first love?" she asked quietly.

He didn't respond for a bit before replying, "Why are you curious?"

She shrugged slightly, moving his head with her motions, "Can you tell me about her? I talk so much about Ron… I'd like to hear about the girl you first fell for."

He sighed, figuring it wouldn't hurt, "She was my age… we went to school together," he explained, "she was the most beautiful girl you could ever lay your eyes on. Her hair was as brilliant a red as a rose and her green irises could melt your darkest thoughts. I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her."

Hermione seemed upset at this, "Where is she now? What happened?"

He growled under his breath, he should have known she would have been extremely curious, "She fell in love with someone else and married him. She passed away quite a long time ago."

She frowned, "I'm so sorry Severus…"

The teacher picked up his head, "Forget about it…

Hermione didn't ask any more about her, "Perhaps tonight you can imagine yourself with this girl one more time… I wouldn't mind you know."

Severus swallowed and sat up, "No, that is kind of you, my dear but I would rather like to think that you will be asleep next to me and not a memory of a deceased love."

She nodded and yawned before pushing her teacher down on his back and snuggling herself in his side and her head rested against his shoulder, "Well I'm glad you will be next to me tonight."

He looked at her differently and realized that even through her drunken state, she was clearly telling the truth… and that, most of all, scared him to death.


End file.
